Scorching heat
by aiokikasete
Summary: -AU- Fire!verse. Third installment following "Kindles and sparks". After 5 years of loving Souichi, Tetsuhiro Morinaga finally gets his wish when Sempai asks him to stay by his side. Things are going rosy for the two of them until the impossible happens. This is the couple's dealing with work- related issues. Warning: male pregnancy (mpreg)
1. Unfurling

**A/N: A shoutout to OceanAngel94, chickadeeyasee, Myrskyluoto, Charmsrule and shizuka for the heartening words and comments! I dedicate this new sequel to you all :)**

**This is a sequel to:**

**1) Consumed by your fire**

**2) Kindles and sparks**

**As this story would continue off from where "Kindles and sparks" stopped, I suggest reading the first two stories also :) **

**PS: Throughout the story, the way in which the 2 main characters are called will switch between these:**

**Tatsumi Souichi: Souichi (in his own POV) / Sempai (in Morinaga's POV)**

**Morinaga Tetsuhiro: Tetsuhiro (in his own POV) / Morinaga (in Souichi's POV)**

**Warning: This story is Yaoi and contains male pregnancy.**

**Disclaimer: As before, Koisuru Boukon does not belong to me.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Unfurling**

**xxx Souichi xxx**

In the late afternoon light, Souichi rounded the bend of the walking path in the park, stretching his legs in a brisk walk. The late September air was crisp, carrying a woody fragrance. Leaves swirled prettily around Souichi's feet. Dr. Hako had recommended light exercise starting from his third month onward to prevent excessive weight gain and lethargy. The daily exercise had indeed proven uplifting on both his body and mind.

After finishing his routine, Souichi sat at his customary bench by the playground, taking a sip of red kiichigo leaf tea from his thermos. Morinaga had bought the tealeaves recently and nagged at Souichi to drink it daily, quoting its benefits for pregnancy. Leaning back on the bench, he replaced the thermos cap and let his hand rest on his womb, feeling the slight rise beneath the cashmere. He hoped the baby was growing well inside, his tiny miracle. The autumn bluster set the tree branches swaying, the _shaa_-ing sound peaceful and soothing. Souichi closed his eyes for a moment, savouring the quiet time together with the life inside of him.

The days were passing quickly, what with his intensive research and thesis writing. Morinaga was also tied up with his responsibilities at the company, currently in Tokyo for a rotation around the other departments in S Pharmaceuticals. In less than a year, he would officially start his position as a chemist. They had not discussed the imminent transfer yet but Souichi knew that the issue was never far from their minds.

His first trimester was over and with it his nausea and fatigue had also receded. Souichi had taken advantage of his regained vitality to quicken the pace of his research, to Morinaga's distress. However, he had had to do it so that he could complete most of the lab work on hand. Luckily, his hard work for the past two years had not been for naught; Souichi would be finished with the quota of six research papers for Prof. Fukushima in three years rather than the usual four.

Souichi wanted to take a year of absence from the program before he started showing. At the moment, his heavy sweaters and coats were keeping his condition hidden from his colleagues. He did not wish for any unwanted attention or trouble from school, or any of it to spill over to Morinaga should Prof. Fukushima find out about their relationship. His lab work should be finished in a month. After that, he could stay home for the year to have the baby, write his thesis and perhaps do some ad- hoc research reviews for some of the professors at the side.

The sound of childish laughter rang from the playground. The young kids around the neighbourhood had become a familiar sight to Souichi and one or two brave ones had even come to greet him when he had sat at his bench. After a few days of peeking behind the monkey bars, the other children had gradually come to recognize and greet him as 'Tat-kun', even involving him in some of their games.

"Tat-kun!" Two of the girls who had made him their buddy had spied him and were now running over, toothless grins splitting their cherubic faces. "Tat-kun! Konbanwa!"

Prepared now, Souichi took out a few candies from his pockets and hid them in one fist. "Guess which one contains the sweets today?" He stretched out his fists.

"This one, this one!" One of the girls squealed, clapping her hands merrily when Souichi smiled and opened his hand to reveal the prize.

"Correct! Now, don't go eating them all by yourselves; share them with your friends." Waving goodbye to the kids, Souichi stood up and started towards the exit, pockets considerably lightened.

The neighbourhood kids were easy to please, much like his precocious younger siblings in the past. Souichi had always been the big brother, watching out for Tomoe and Kanako for all the things in their lives, whether big or small. However, they had already been out of infancy when their mother died. Thus, Souichi did not have the first idea how to take care of an infant. The thought worried him. Morinaga had been the youngest in his family, so he had had no experience either.

There were still a few more months to go but Souichi was beginning to feel anxious. His doctor's appointment was coming up in a few days. Dr. Hako's advice on such preparations should come in handy.

* * *

"Matsuda- san, Kanako, I'm here." Souichi let himself into the two- storey house, as familiar to him as his own apartment. Since Morinaga was away on his trip, Matsuda- san had insisted on him joining them for dinner for the week. There was an unfamiliar pair of shoes at the genkan. They probably had a visitor tonight.

"Souichi-kun~! I heard about your condition, my, my, congratulations!" Souichi heard a very familiar voice but before he could scowl, Isogai Taichirou had burst out from the kitchen and was now pumping his hand enthusiastically.

Souichi remembered the endless hours of Doraemon in a darkened karaoke room and the blackmail videotape kept by the man. The cherry on top of the sundae was the fact that Isogai was best buddies with the evil gay landlord (he refused to say 'brother-in-law'). This man was his nemesis! "You-! What are you doing here! And why haven't you dragged Kurokawa away from my Tomoe!" Souichi pulled his hand from Isogai's crushing handshake and stalked irritably into the kitchen. "Matsuda- san, konbanwa."

"Ahh, Sou-kun! Welcome home. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. We are having chicken and vegetables stew tonight. Kanako, could you help me to set the table?" His aunt pottered about the kitchen, busily stirring the bubbling pots and pans on the stove.

"Hai! Nii- san, konbanwa! Isogai- san, eat loads later, ok!" Kanako grinned at the two men before she scooted off to the living area.

"So, I heard that you are pregnant. Is the father who I guess it is?" Isogai grinned wickedly, wriggling his brows.

Souichi glowered at the nosy man. That bastard knew about him and Morinaga after he had caught them kissing in a back alley of the karaoke lounge. He had used this knowledge to guilt- trip Souichi whenever he went into his anti-gay landlord tirades. He had also, unfortunately, been the one who had advised Souichi on their relationship when things had almost ended between them. But-! That didn't mean that Souichi had forgotten about the Doraemon episode and those hours of embarrassment! He ignored the man and proceeded to pour out four glasses of water.

"Ooh, I should be correct then. Why is he not here today? I want to congratulate him on managing to tame you! Hohoho."

"Oh, Morinaga- san is in Tokyo for the week! He was worried about Nii- san and his inability to cook so I told him that Matsuda- san and I would take care of him!" Kanako quipped as she reentered the kitchen.

Souichi closed his eyes, resisting the urge to punch something. His family was just weird; who the heck could take the news of him, a man, being together with another man and having his child so naturally? The Tatsumi family, apparently. With a sinking feeling, he realized that his family had probably known about his relationship with Morinaga for a long time already. The very thought caused heat to rise to his cheeks, both in indignation and embarrassment. "You people are driving me up the wall!" He slammed down the jar of water on the table, jarring the glasses.

"It's ok, Nii- san. I'm so glad you are having a baby; it takes the pressure off me, what with you and Tomoe-nii being with another man. Now I can just have five babies instead of six!" Humming happily, Kanako flitted to Matsuda- san and helped the lady taste the stew.

Souichi could only gape; what in the world had Kanako been planning? It made him happy but also a little sad that his youngest sister had had to worry on their behalves. He ruffled the girl's head as she walked past, earning a puzzled glance from Kanako. "Nii- san? Come on, let's go and eat! My baby nephew or niece needs feeding!"

"All right, all right. Stop nagging; you are starting to sound like Mori-uhh, somebody else! So troublesome." Grumbling, Souichi nonetheless picked up the tray of drinks and padded into the dining area. Together, the four of them sat down to dinner, the chicken stew bubbling merrily on the hot plate. Conversation flowed around myriad topics and Souichi soon relaxed into the cozy atmosphere.

* * *

"So, ready to be a father?" The stew was scraped to the bottom of the pot, everyone was warm and sated and the two men were sipping their beverages while Kanako helped Matsuda- san with the cleaning up.

Souichi glanced down at the slight curve of his belly, the rise visible when he leaned back. Stroking it gently, he shook his head reluctantly. Somehow, Isogai, for all his frivolity, always managed to get to the crux of the matter. "I have next to no idea about what to prepare. We don't even know where we'll be living a year down the road, so everything's in the air now." Not realising his slip, Souichi missed how Isogai's eyebrows lifted with his usage of the plural noun.

"Hmm…" Isogai took a swig from the beer can, a thoughtful look on his face. "Have you ever thought of taking Lamaze classes?"

"Yea... but those classes are usually public. A pregnant man like me would probably create a hoo-hah… That's also why I want to finish my work at school before I start showing. I don't think Japan is broad- minded enough at the moment to embrace homosexuality, much less a man being pregnant."

"Well, that's true. But you shouldn't let that stop you from learning about everything you need for the child. I think my friend might know a midwife who also teaches Lamaze classes…maybe she would be interested in giving private classes. Give me a minute…" Isogai snapped open his cell and began to type rapidly.

Souichi glanced at the black-haired man, pondering. Isogai was rather…reliable when he was not being obnoxious. Deep down (really deep down), he was grateful for the man's advice back then. If Isogai had not urged Souichi to truly think about what he wanted instead of focusing on the negatives of his relationship with Morinaga, Souichi was pretty sure that he would have pushed his lover away with his own two hands. It was Isogai who had made him realise that, rather than Morinaga always running away, it was himself who had perhaps provided the push.

"All right, my friend would get back to me about the midwife. If this goes through, you owe me another one, Sou-kun! Now, how should I make you repay me, hmm…" The insufferable man winked at Souichi before chugging the beer.

Souichi settled for glaring at the man, feeling too sated to carry out physical violence. Urghh, his family (and family friend) was weird, all right.

* * *

**To be continued.**

**Here's the first installment of the next sequel! :) I think I'll have to name these series of writings. Maybe call it Fire!verse? Hahahahha. I do hope that it was fun to read!**


	2. Budding

**Chapter 2: Budding**

**xxx Tetsuhiro xxx**

"Good work, Morinaga!"

"Good work!"

"See you tomorrow, Morinaga-kun!"

"Hai! See you!" Soon, Tetsuhiro was the only person left in the department. He stretched a little and glanced at the clock. Ahh, it was already six pm. He decided to start on the presentation materials for the meeting two days later. Humming, he set to work.

Tetsuhiro had been working hard for the past few days, trying his best to learn the workings of the current department he was in. He had promised Prof. Fukushima and Dr. Maya that he would make up for not going on the three- month Hong Kong business stint.

The thought of the lady doctor still made Tetsuhiro apprehensive. She no longer sent personal emails but did make check- ups on him from time to time via his new superior at the company. Tetsuhiro was relieved that he did not have to work directly under her; he did not think that he could have treated things as though nothing had happened.

Tetsuhiro still could hardly believe that the most distressing night of his life had been naught but a passing moment of fun for Dr. Maya. He was a mild man but when he thought about how her thoughtlessness had nearly cost him Sempai and his new family, Tetsuhiro could almost feel the anger bubble beneath his skin.

But there was always a silver lining. The incident with Dr. Maya had shown him that the person who trusted and worried about Tetsuhiro the most was none other than Souichi. He had confronted the doctor on Tetsuhiro's behalf and brought her to task. Like all the previous times with his brother and Masaki- san, Souichi, with his frank words and sense of justice, had righted all the wrongs for him.

Like a legless bird, Tetsuhiro had never stayed in a place for long after becoming disowned by his own family, taking flight whenever things did not go smoothly. It had been easier for him to do the abandoning rather than being the one left behind, again. Tetsuhiro had learned to ignore that constant ache of anxiety and solitude that throbbed invisibly somewhere within him.

Sempai had been the one who caught him; made him fold his wings. Staunched that dark instinct within Tetsuhiro to soar and tumble like a broken kite and made him feel again the solidness of the ground beneath his feet. If Tetsuhiro was a broken kite then Sempai had become the new string that reeled him safely back to ground.

At the age of twenty-four, after ten years of being lost in the wind, Tetsuhiro had finally found his homing call.

* * *

The crowded streets of Tokyo jostled around him as Tetsuhiro walked down the main shopping district near his company. He had wanted to try a new diner that he had spied the last time he was in the city and found that it tasted as good as it had looked.

A standalone store at the end of the busy street caught his eye. It was decorated like a gingerbread man's house, complete with scalloped roof, cottage windows and giant candies stuck on all the walls of the shop. The interior was lit up with a warm, yellow glow. Coming closer to the unique shop, Tetsuhiro saw the displays at the windows. The most adorable set of baby clothes was laid out on a miniature wooden table. The bodice of the dress was made of tangerine gingham with delicate lacing at the shoulder straps. Colourful stripes adorned with butterflies made up the skirt. There was even a tiny gingham cap to complete the look. Tetsuhiro pressed his fingers against the cool glass, mesmerized.

The bell jingled. Within moments, he had purchased the set, along with impossibly tiny fluffy mittens and hand- sewn baby shoes. Tetsuhiro had refrained from buying the hand- polished baby crib at the last moment, deciding that such momentous purchases required Sempai's input.

The train whistle went off loudly as Tetsuhiro hurried onto the train. He was anxious to get home and call Sempai. There were so many useful and pretty things at that store for the baby! Excited, Tetsuhiro peeked into the shopping bag, proud of his purchases. Buying the clothes had brought home the reality that in a few months he was going to be a father. The life that was growing in Sempai was coming and he could not wait to see the miniature being that was the proof of his and Sempai's love.

He knew that his work at the company was going to be troublesome when he had to start work officially. Sempai still had his work at the university, and Kanako was still living in Nagoya too. With his job, he would be based in Tokyo, with frequent business trips. The road ahead was not going to be easy but Tetsuhiro was determined to make it work for his family.

* * *

"Saga- san, sorry to bother you but could I take a little of your time to discuss some details about my job here for the coming year?" Tetsuhiro knocked on the open glass door of his superior's modern office.

Dr. Saga looked up from his computer and smiled. "Ah, Morinaga! Good to see you today, how's work coming along?"

Dr. Saga was the new head chemist at the Tokyo branch of S Pharmaceuticals. Unlike Dr. Maya, his predecessor, Dr. Saga was a portly man of fifty, happily married with three children. The collective male presence in the department had given a sigh of relief (at least, the attached ones) with the femme fatale gone. Tetsuhiro was glad that Dr. Saga seemed rather jovial and easy- going.

"Dr. Saga, I would just like to understand a little more about my job description, especially about the duration of stay in Tokyo and the overseas rotations. I require the information to do some planning for my family."

"Ah…family, eh? But you are still so young, Morinaga. Settling down?" Dr. Saga peered at him interestedly from behind his glasses.

Tetsuhiro bit his lips in hesitation. He knew that part of the reason why he had been accepted for the job had been his willingness to travel. But if he were not honest here then Dr. Saga would not be able to help him. "Yes sir, my partner and I are going to have a baby, so some things have had to change. I am definitely still willing to travel overseas for work but would like to know the frequency."

"Ah, I see your problem. But, congratulations on the good news, Morinaga! Well, you won't be travelling overseas so soon; probably one or two years down the road. However, you will be situated in this office. I understand that you are currently living in Nagoya?"

"Thank you sir, yes, sir, we are currently living there. Ah, will there be any employees' accommodations provided for family? Sorry to trouble you about this!" Tetsuhiro was immensely relieved. Being able to stay in Japan for the near future was good enough for him at the moment.

Dr. Saga laughed heartily, his jowls shaking along as he patted Morinaga on the shoulder. "You are really thinking about your family, huh? That's good, that's good. We don't provide accommodations but some living expenses can be claimed from the company. You could email HR or Accounts for details; I'm not too sure myself either. Look, don't worry too much about the travel—it's an essential part of your job but it's not the biggest. There's paternity leave for new parents too. Just keep up the good work; I'll have your back. After all, I know how a father feels!" Dr. Saga winked good- naturedly at Tetsuhiro.

"Ahh, thank you so much, sir! I'll be going back to work now." Tetsuhiro bowed respectfully and went back to his cubicle. This was good news that he couldn't wait to share with Sempai.

* * *

This time, when Tetsuhiro stepped into the baby-clothing store, he came back out with a baseball outfit for newborn baby boys, an elephant stuffed toy, baby bottles and pacifiers that the storeowner had recommended for newborns. His good mood today had translated into a buying mood.

Whistling softly, he entered his dorm and put down his belongings on the small sofa. Dialing the familiar number, he held the phone to his ear as he took out a can of beer from the fridge.

At the sound of that beloved voice, Tetsuhiro felt the distance between Nagoya and Tokyo shorten and disappear until he could almost feel Sempai beside him in this tiny dorm. Lying on the single bed, he sipped the beer while chatting about his day with Souichi, enjoying the fact that Sempai was gradually getting more used to chatting on the phone with him. The conversation flowed until he heard Sempai beginning to tire. Glancing at the clock, Tetsuhiro startled. It was already eleven pm, an hour past the bedtime that Souichi had begun to keep since becoming pregnant.

"Ahh, gomen, gomen, Sempai! You must be tired, I'm sorry for keeping you up. Have a good rest, okay?"

"Nah, it's nothing." Over the phone, Tetsuhiro heard the distinct sound of a yawn being muffled. "It was good hearing about what Dr. Saga said. We should discuss this more when you get home tomorrow. I'm going to turn in now; sleep well, Morinaga."

"Okay, I will. I can't wait to see you-" He kissed the receiver of his cell, knowing that Sempai had heard it when there was an embarrassed sputter over the line. "I'll hang up now. Say goodnight to our baby for me, too, Sempai. Oyasumi nasai~!"

Tetushiro set his cell on the table to charge. Flopping back on the single bed, he sighed. It was hard being away from Sempai for so long, in more ways than one. Glancing down at his throbbing length, Tetushiro fisted himself through his trousers and groaned, his hand pumping up and down in practiced strokes. He needed Sempai's heat, that rippling and clenching warmth that always wrapped snugly around him. As he turned to his side and slid his hand into his trousers, he imagined Sempai's warm body arching beneath him, Sempai's hands across his shoulders and scratching down his back, Sempai's voice calling out his name again and again… With a violent jerk, Tetsuhiro came off, shuddering with relief as his hand became sticky with his own seed.

Tokyo was becoming too much for him to handle!

* * *

**To be continued.**

**Chapter 2, presented! :)**


	3. Bloom

**A/N: Here we are, chapter 3!**

**Please enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Bloom**

**xxx Souichi xxx**

Spread out on the experiment bench top was forty species of herbs and various fauna, sorted by name. Peering thoughtfully at the samples, Souichi took stock, ticking off each sample listed in his logbook. Everything seemed to be in order.

"Yamaha! Is the mesh and methanol ready? We are going to get started on raw extraction of these samples today! Weigh out five grams of each herb and seal them individually in those ziplock bags to retain their freshness." Souichi marched briskly over to his new lab assistant, a first- year Masters student by the name of Yamaha Kyuichi. The man in question merely slammed the glass bottle of methanol onto the bench unnecessarily hard, causing the clear liquid inside to slosh around. Souichi frowned. "Careful with that! If you break the bottle, there's going to be a nasty spill to clear up. I'm going to have to mark this up in your lab risk assessment." He was strict in the lab; accidents due to students' carelessness were unforgivable in his view.

"Yea, yea, whatever. I'm supposed to go and weigh up the herbs, right? Jeez, isn't there anything harder to do around here?" The younger man swaggered away from Souichi, idly fiddling with the array of plant material.

The other PhD students near Souichi lifted a brow at their kouhai's utter rudeness. Yamaha was a new addition to the agricultural science postgraduate program, a graduate from a prestigious university in the States. He was a Japanese- American mix, the platinum- blonde hair distinctive in a sea of black. Souichi had expected him to be of high caliber and indeed, the kouhai had proven intelligent and quick in thinking. However, he seemed to have some issues with superiority and discipline, especially towards his direct supervisor, which was Souichi.

The first week that Yamaha had been posted to the department, they had rubbed off wrongly on each other. Yamaha, for all his smarts, was not particularly experienced yet in lab work. Souichi had spent the first few days going through some preliminary hazard and risk assessment with the guy, as well as some basic lab skills required in their field, such as simple extraction, microbiological sampling, and various other things. However, after the training, Yamaha had still carelessly left a Bunsen flame burning near an exposed beaker of flammable organic solvent. Souichi had been incensed; this had been one of the safety issues that he had especially highlighted to Yamaha. He had flared up at the young man in front of the other students for a solid ten minutes.

Granted, Souichi's mood had been sour of late with the constant backache that had started soon into his third month. His self- inflicted heavy workload in this period had also placed considerable stress on Souichi and Yamaha's overt negligence in _his_ lab had been the tipping point. The other students, used to Souichi's infamous temper, had viewed the incident with righteousness and even some humour but not so Yamaha. Since then, he had becoming increasingly antagonistic towards Souichi.

"I'll be preparing the methanol solvent and apparatus in the fumehood; bring the first five samples to me when you are ready." Souichi lifted the heavy bottle of solvent and walked carefully to the fumehood. At the back of his mind, he could almost hear Morinaga's nagging about him carrying heavy items in his state. But Souichi was pregnant, not an invalid! Nonetheless, he made sure to watch his step as he maneuvered his way to the back of the lab. Yamaha obviously did not extend his help.

Well, it was not as though Yamaha had done anything egregious, save for his attitude. Sullen though he was, Yamaha had still thus far been of some help. The previous two experiments scheduled had been conducted successfully with some contribution from the boy and Souichi saw no point in bringing up the issue with Prof. Fukushima. Putting the matter aside, he began to focus on setting up the extraction apparatus in the fumehood. The experiment would stretch for a week, what with the large sample size and overnight extraction, and Souichi was determined not to let it go overtime.

* * *

It was not until nine pm that Souichi locked up the lab and trudged towards the university entrance, bone- tired and just wanting to take a quick shower and pop into bed. However, he tried to hide some of the fatigue from his face when Morinaga turned and saw him at the steps, his expression anxious.

"Sempai, you are finally done! Did the experiments run late again?"

Morinaga had picked up on his exhaustion, judging from how he hovered around Souichi and tried to help him with the backpack. His pride prevented him from parting with the bag though, and Souichi scowled at his partner, tugging the straps so that Morinaga could only reluctantly let go.

"You-! I'm not crippled; I can handle my own bag perfectly well! Baka." From Morinaga's crestfallen look, Souichi's heart gave a twinge and he softened his curtness a little. "The bag's not heavy, anyway. And I ate dinner and the vitamins on time; so don't give me that accusing look!

Plus, Prof. Fukushima wants the results by next week, so it's not like I could slack off, even if I wanted to…" Damn, there he went rambling off again. Recently, Souichi had found himself trying to explain his long hours at work to Morinaga. Whereas before the pregnancy, Souichi could work until midnight and Morinaga would just cook a late supper for him at home; now, the brat insisted on fetching him home whenever he ended his experiments late, like now. Back home, he would disallow Souichi from staying up to do work past midnight, even sitting on the couch with him until Souichi felt almost crazed from his scrutiny.

He knew Morinaga was concerned about the demonic pace he was setting for his lab hours; Souichi himself remembered Dr. Hako's advice not to over- exert himself, even if his pregnancy had stabilized past the first trimester. However, there was still a ton of work to complete before he could gladly leave for the year. Although Prof. Fukushima had approved his leave, he had still insisted that Souichi try to finish as much as he could in the one month left.

"I know, Sempai…You told me before about this but—I worry about you and the baby. You don't even have enough rest on the weekend! And I can't always help you out with the experiments…" Morinaga had become increasingly busy with work at S Pharmaceuticals, with work and presentations slides that his superiors sent him periodically through email.

Souichi sighed. This was a tough period but there was no two ways about it. His other colleagues could pick up the ropes after he left but this final set of herb experiments would be an important part of his thesis work and he wanted to be there for every step of it, exhausting though it might be. Besides, Morinaga's company was invested in this set of experimental results, so he wanted to do his best for it.

Stepping out of the university gates, Souichi shivered involuntarily as the cold hit him. He jolted in surprise when he felt a heavy cloth settle over his shoulders. "What the-?" Morinaga had slunk his own coat over Souichi, tucking the outerwear securely on Souichi before he suddenly pecked him on the lips. "H-hey! This is the school entrance, you baka! Watch what you are doing!" Covering his mouth in mortification, Souichi gave the grinning man an annoyed glare.

"Since I can't stop you from working late, at least I can make sure you stay warm! Let's go home, Sempai." Morinaga stretched out his hand, obviously wanting Souichi to take it. He sniffed and smacked the infuriating man's hand aside, miffed at the way Morinaga's words made his chest uncomfortably tight and breathless. As the pair made their way home, Souichi forgot about the cold, Morinaga's jacket and his presence keeping him toasty through the journey.

* * *

**xxx Tetsuhiro xxx**

Back in their apartment that night, Tetsuhiro slowly kneaded Souichi's lower back, smiling softly at the suppressed groan of contentment from his reticent lover. "Is it better now, Sempai?"

Souichi was lying on his side on the bed as Tetsuhiro rubbed the sore spot with the balm that he had bought a few days earlier. He had read up on the different trimesters of pregnancy and knew that backaches were a common problem during the second trimester. Sempai had not complained to him as much but from his reaction just now, Tetsuhiro knew that he had been right to purchase the cream.

"…Baka, I never said that my back hurt…ahhh…" The stubborn knot of muscle that Tetsuhiro had been massaging finally relaxed and he chuckled as Sempai completely unwinded.

"Sempai, if you have any discomfort or anything you want, don't hold back, all right? I want you to be selfish and tell me what you want." Taking advantage of Souichi's unguarded posture, Tetsuhiro stole a kiss on his bare shoulder. "I want to treasure you and take care of you…" He whispered directly into the other man's ear, grinning when the tips of those ears reddened.

"…Stop that! It tickles…" But Souichi did not move away as Tetsuhiro kissed his way down his back, his hand moving to touch every other part of his body. Tetsuhiro loved the way how Sempai's body would quiver every time his lips caressed him, loved how small, little moans fell like sighs from those beautiful lips whenever he brushed his knuckles over his nipples. Sweeping Sempai's silvery hair to expose the pale curve of his neck, Tetsuhiro could not resist and bent down to sample the soft flesh, nipping and sucking until Souichi moaned and tried to capture his lips.

"Mhmm, you taste so good, Sempai…" Tetsuhiro breathed into the other man's mouth before his tongue flicked in and coaxed Souichi's into a provocative dance. It was a long, drugged moment before they parted. Souichi's lips were bruised and swollen, his silvery hair draped carelessly across his shoulders. Tetsuhiro had never seen such a mesmerizing sight. "You are beautiful." He leaned in again and sucked at those abused lips, his hands exploring the ridges and planes of Souichi's body leisurely.

Tetsuhiro took it slowly tonight. Leisurely, he traced Souichi's defined jaw with his lips and tongue, tip-toeing down that long, smooth neck. Reaching the base where he could feel Sempai's erratic pulse, his tongue flicked out and licked that delicious part before kissing it, enjoying how his touch caused jolts that he could feel through Sempai's heated skin.

"Nnn…Morinaga…"

"Yes, Sempai?..." He took one nipple into his mouth, letting just his hot breath surround the sensitive nub, feeling it rapidly harden and peak in his cavity. Beneath him, Souichi writhed at the prolonged torture when Tetsuhiro continued doing nothing with his teeth and tongue.

"Morinag-a-!"

"What do you want, Sempai? This?" Tetsuhiro licked slowly around Souichi's nipple still in his mouth, suckling and grazing it using his teeth.

"Hnnn…!"

At the cry, Tetsuhiro finally released the nipple and began the same process on the other one. "This one is feeling lonely here, Sempai. Let me love it properly…" By this time, Tetsuhiro had pulled himself flush against Souichi's restless self, letting his own nipples rub sensually against Souichi. The electrifying sensation concentrated on those two points and he groaned even as he continued laving Souichi's nipple.

Moving further down, Tetsuhiro gazed at the soft curve of Sempai's womb in wonder. Sempai had begun to show more and more as the days passed, although it was still not yet obvious under Sempai's sweaters. Nonetheless, it was there and Tetsuhiro stroked the curved expanse gently, his lips lingering on every side of it. Souichi shifted his head, propping up on his elbows to look downwards at him.

"Morinaga, what are you doing? Ahh…" Souichi trembled as Tetsuhiro traced the circumference of his womb with his tongue, leaving a slick trail.

"Loving our baby, Sempai. Loving you." He took the hard length of Souichi into his mouth then, puffing on the heated skin and feeling it swell even larger in his mouth. He loved how alive it felt, the strumming and throbbing every time he sucked on it, tongue running down the rippled sides. Sempai was clutching at the sheets, hips buckling helplessly forwards into Tetsuhiro's throat as he sucked endlessly, the beads of clear liquid pearling from the engorged tip.

"Hnnn! Hahh…Stop it…Morinaga…I'm going to…Ahhhh!" With a shudder that traversed all the way into Tetsuhiro's mouth, Souichi climaxed, surging upwards and inwards while Tetsuhiro savoured every spurt, his hand pumping Souichi fast and hard.

When Souichi collapsed back onto the bed, spent, Tetsuhiro gently pushed apart his thighs, exposing the tight entrance. The very sight hardened him even further; a shiver of anticipation passed through him as he imagined the heat it beckoned. Hands trembling in urgency, he took the cream and slicked himself up, taking some more on his finger so that he could ease Sempai's entrance. "You are so beautiful down here too, Sempai…I love every single part of you…" One finger rimmed the twitching hole with some cream before sliding in firmly.

"Baka…What are you sayi—Nnnn! Ahh…!"

Sempai's fingers were clutching almost painfully at his arms but Tetsuhiro did not mind. Slowly, he began to probe further in with his one finger, the things his finger felt going directly to his groin. Tetsuhiro shifted uncomfortably on his knees. The urge to thrust right inside Sempai was becoming unbearable. He tried to ignore the shivering throb below as he concentrated on making Sempai comfortable. Another finger slid in and he began to massage and exercise the ring of muscles that were gradually relaxing.

"Morinaga…I…nnnn!"

Sempai was tightening and relaxing instinctively against his fingers now, rotating and swiveling restlessly to take him deeper. Tetsuhiro could not take it any longer. Retracting his fingers, he placed more cream on his throbbing shaft before positioning himself over Souichi. "Sempai? I'm going in now. Is it okay?"

"Don't—ask—baka! Hahhh!"

With one thrust, Tetsuhiro penetrated into Souichi's entrance, the heat and dampness at once familiar and exciting. "Hnnn…" He began to move slowly, dragging his length so that every part of him could feel Sempai. It was intoxicating—it was not enough. Faster and faster, he thrust and pumped, the friction that he craved like an addiction becoming hotter and wetter as both of them rode each other.

"Ah! Ah! Ahhh! Mori—naga-!"

Sempai's hands were around him, nails digging deeply as he thrust in further. Tetsuhiro gathered Souichi into his arms as he buried himself to the hilt once, twice, thrice, before white light exploded across his lids and he arched back, a primal cry ripping from his throat as their bodies shuddered and trembled with their release.

* * *

**xxx Souichi xxx**

The week passed in a flurry of work. With forty herb samples to grind, carry out methanol extraction, distillation and overnight incubation, Souichi and Yamaha were kept at the benches for hours at a stretch, and it was solely due to the baby that Souichi even stopped for a minute to catch his breath, eat the bentou that Morinaga faithfully packed, and swallow the prescribed prenatal vitamin pills.

During this time, Yamaha had stretched his nerves thin, challenging his instructions at every turn and leaving the lab equipment overnight instead of washing up as he had been told to do. Yamaha's outright defiance was grating and extremely rude. Souichi, not one to pander to a spoilt young man's temperament, had asserted his authority as Yamaha's superior. This had only resulted in several arguments between them.

As such, Souichi's disposition had soured as the days progressed. After this set of experiments, he was going to have to involve Prof. Fukushima on Yamaha's uncooperative attitude.

"Achoo-! Urghh…" For the fourth time that day, Souichi sneezed, trying to suck in a breath through his stuffed nose. His head felt stuffy and heavy, and his backache had only worsened. Scowling, his bad mood aggravated by his physical discomfort, Souichi nevertheless continued to prepare the apparatus for the colourimetric assay for the next step of the experiment.

A sudden alarm rang from the fumehoods at the back of the lab. Souichi jerked up, his senses immediately on alert. Where was Yamaha?! He was supposed to be there watching over the distillation equipment! However, a quick sweep across the lab showed that the blonde was nowhere to be seen.

"Idiot!" Hissing under his breath, Souichi rushed to the fumehoods and spotted the trouble at once. One of the distillation flasks had back flowed; the nitrogen gas feed tube was now slumped limply on the table, loosened from the mouth of the distillator. The increased pressure in the fumehood had caused the alarm. Damnit. Souichi immediately switched off the gas flow and removed the herb sample flask. That was one good sample down the drain. Cursing, he left it in the sink and disassembled the equipment. Everything had to be rinsed and reset, and a new sample had to be ground and extracted. That would cost them a further four hours. Where was that bastard!

Hearing the door to the lab swing open, Souichi swung around rapidly, only to see Yamaha running to him, his expression shocked. "Ahh-!, I'm so sorry, there was an emergency call from my fath—"

Souichi rounded on him, his fury palpable. "Yamaha! Where the fuck were you! Didn't I tell you to look after the experiments while I prepared for the next step! What the fuck has your attitude been? I could excuse your rudeness but this negligence is too damn much! Your inattention has not only wasted a perfectly good sample but also caused a safety hazard! The buildup in pressure could have caused an explosion!" His shouts could be heard throughout the lab and Yamaha flushed dull red, taken aback by Souichi's outburst.

"I-I'm sorry but the call was really-!"

Souichi pushed past him, the anger and headache pounding simultaneously on his skull. He had had enough of this shitty attitude from Yamaha. Without looking back at the culprit, he bit out, "Clean up the mess and prepare a new sample for that herb! I expect you to stay back today to finish it up, no matter how late! This should teach you some responsibility!"

* * *

**To be continued.**


	4. Senescence

**A/N: My sincere and most heartfelt thanks to all those who read and left comments on the chapters. It was very interesting to read what your were thinking after reading the chapters! **

**Please enjoy: Chapter 4**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Senescence **

**xxx Souichi xxx**

By the time Souichi finally wrapped up that day's experiment and met Morinaga at the gates, it was already an hour past their agreed timing. He had stayed back partly to complete the colourimeter assay but it was mostly because he had not wanted Yamaha to feel that he was alone in carrying out the lab work.

After the huge reprimand by Souichi, the two of them had not exchanged more words than necessary. Yamaha had, for once, not contradicted Souichi while he gave instructions and had prepared the new samples for extraction in record time. The boy had been so focused that he had even ignored the persistent ringing of his cell, which had only stopped when Yamaha had switched it to vibration mode.

Those actions showed Souichi that Yamaha had indeed felt some contriteness and his manner had softened accordingly. He decided not to alert Prof. Fukushima about the afternoon's debacle. Perhaps there was still a chance to mend the strained ties between him and his kouhai.

Souichi's mood lightened somewhat as he neared the school gates, a familiar figure leaning against the brick pillar. Their eyes met over the distance. Morinaga straightened and hurried towards him, his youthful face lit up in a bright smile. "Sempai! Konbanwa!"

"Sorry, did you wait long?" Souichi paused as the younger man wound a woolen scarf around his neck. It had become their ritual for Morinaga to bring a scarf for him every time he picked Souichi up from school. It was a silly routine, easily sidestepped if Souichi were to directly wear one to school but he had accidentally- on- purpose forgotten to do so. Besides, if it made Morinaga happy then Souichi saw no harm in continuing this.

"Okay, all wrapped up! You sent me a text to tell me that you'd be late, Sempai, so I just waited at home until you were ready! Were you worried that I'd be cold out here?" Morinaga's tone was gleeful as he imagined Souichi's worried expression.

"Baka! Who would have the time to worry about y—achoo! A—achoo!" A series of sneezes caught Souichi off- guard. By the time the attacks were over, his nose felt simultaneously stuffed and leaky.

"It seems like you are really coming down with a cold, Sempai. Luckily, I bought you some flu medication. I checked with the pharmacy; it's safe for pregnancy. You have to eat them later!"

"…Thanks, Morinaga."

* * *

Later that night, Souichi and Tetsuhiro stayed in the living room to do their respective work. The herb experiments required a lot of data- crunching and he only had a limited amount of time to analyse and arrange the information into a concise and useful format for Prof. Fukushima. And that was why he was still typing away at his laptop when Morinaga spoke up softly from the couch.

"Sempai? It's almost twelve. Do you want to go to bed?"

"Hnn." Deep in concentration, Souichi rapidly plotted a scatter curve with his tabulated data, trying to see if there was a trend in the results. Vaguely, he felt Morinaga shift closer to him.

"It's late and you should take a break because of your cold. I'll give you a back massage before we turn in. Let's go, Sempai."

"Just a minute more. Sorry, Morinaga, could you pour me a cup of barley tea?" Souichi frowned a little at the screen; there seemed to be quite a few unexpected results. He only looked up for a moment to thank Morinaga when the man set a warm cup of tea beside him but soon he was immersed in numbers and graphs.

"…Sempai?"

"Morinaga, you idiot! Let me concentrate on this for a moment. Go to the bedroom first; I'll join you in a minute." Souichi glared irritably at his kouhai. Since his pregnancy, Morinaga's hovering had increased significantly. It made Souichi want to strangle the man sometimes. Behind him, he thought he heard the man sigh but no more words were uttered.

It was only when he had tabulated all the raw data, calculated the errors and plotted a trend curve for the first twenty herb samples that he realized that the apartment was still and quiet. The cup of tea had turned tepid long ago and Morinaga was nowhere in sight. Stretching and stifling a deep yawn, Souichi switched off his computer and padded into his room. The glowing alarm clock in the darkened room surprised him. Three am. Time had flown away from him.

"…Sempai? You are done with work?" Morinaga's voice, raspy with sleep, sounded from his bed. There was some shuffling as he pushed the blanket aside and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "I'll massage your back before you sleep. It should make you more comfortable." Morinaga was already reaching for the balm that sat on the bedside table.

Souichi did not move from his place by the door for a moment, just quietly traced the outline of Morinaga moving around in the dark. His exhaustion suddenly diminished and became insignificant. Morinaga had been waiting up for him just so he could give him his nightly back massage before sleep. For some reason, Souichi found it hard to speak.

"Sempai?" There was a questioning note in Morinaga's voice at Souichi's lack of response.

"Ahh, yes. I—I just thought you were asleep." His voice came out weird—high- pitched and sort of wavery. Cursing silently, Souichi nevertheless climbed into bed beside the dark- haired man and lay down on his side. He shivered slightly as Morinaga lifted his pajama top and the cold cream touched the small of his back. Morinaga's hand began to knead the tensed muscles in slow but firm circles.

By the time he was done, Souichi was already half- asleep, his body warmed and relaxed from Morinaga's ministrations. He felt the bed shift slightly as Morinaga settled back into bed beside him, their shoulders not quite touching. Souichi glanced at the profile of his lover. Morinaga's eyes were already drifting close, chest rising in a steady rhythm. The silly baka had been tired.

With a quiet sigh that conveyed all the unspoken swirl of emotion in him, Souichi leaned gently over the sleeping man and touched his lips to Morinaga's for the briefest of moments. "Oyasumi nasai…"

* * *

"Yamaguchi, have you seen Yamaha around?" It was already past nine am but his assistant was still nowhere to be seen. Souichi was beginning to get annoyed. That brat. He could have at least notified Souichi via email if he wasn't intending to show up. They had a full set of experiments planned for the day and the workload was not something that Souichi could handle alone.

"Ahh, I haven't seen him around today either, Tatsumi- Sempai! Maybe he took sick leave?"

Nobody knew where Yamaha was, and as the time ticked past, Souichi's temper rose higher. When it really looked like Yamaha was going to be absent for the day, Souichi began on the work, his mind filled with myriad ways to kill the bastard.

* * *

One day turned into two, then into three. Yamaha's continued absence worried even Prof. Fukushima, who had not received any notification from the man himself. As for Souichi, the past few days had become a nightmare, with every hour between eight am to ten pm spent on rushing out the experiments. Even at home, Souichi could not turn in early, what with having to reschedule and re- plan for all the activities for the coming week. His cold had also come back with a vengeance and Souichi had worked through the days with a leaking nose and constant headache.

Morinaga had been uncharacteristically quiet about his crazy schedule. For the past few days, the young man would rush down to the university once his work for S Pharmaceuticals was completed. Morinaga not only assisted him in the lab work but also made sure that he ate his meals and medication on time. Late at night when they were in bed, Morinaga would wordlessly rub his back, soothing him to sleep. Souichi thought that Morinaga was past his hovering phase and was immensely relieved that he did not nag him further when he was already beyond stressed out.

It was the forth morning that Morinaga finally exploded. Souichi was brushing his hair back into its customary ponytail when Morinaga spoke up. Souichi was only half- listening as he went through a mental checklist for that day's activities.

"…overexert yourself."

"Huh, sorry, Morinaga, could you repeat?" Souichi was already slinging his backpack over his shoulders and hurrying towards the genkan. He had some samples that he had to remove from the incubator by seven- thirty am and it was already seven.

"I said, could you please try not to overexert yourself, Sempai? You have been working non- stop for the past few days-!" Morinaga's tone was imploring, a troubled expression on his face.

Exasperated and pressed for time, Souichi turned back to the younger man and tried to rein in his temper. "What's with you, saying all this now? Ahh, damnit, I don't have the time to deal with this—talk to you later if you are coming by the school."

Souichi was jerked to a halt by the strong grip on his arm. Morinaga had rushed forwards to stop him, his tone determined. "Sempai, I've been trying very hard not to give you extra pressure these past few days but I can't stand it any longer! If you push yourself any further, you are going to collapse! Stay home for today, please!"

"Let go, baka! I have to get to school by seven- thirty or else the samples would be ruined! Do you want our efforts of the past few days to go down the drain?" Souichi tried to shrug loose of Morinaga's hold but to no avail. "Bastard, let go, now!"

"No! I won't back down on this, Sempai. More than some—some _stupid_ experiments, I want you and the baby to be safe and healthy! Don't you understand, Sempai?"

"Stupid?" Souichi looked at Morinaga incredulously. "You called a ten million- yen experiment stupid? Do you know what you are talking about!" Souichi finally snapped, his patience at an end.

"Sempai…you…you are always thinking only of school, school and more school! What about yourself, what about your health? What about our baby! You can be so…so selfish sometimes, Sempai…!"

Without thinking, Souichi swung his fist, his knuckles striking against Morinaga's temple. Breathing heavily, he wrenched his arm free as the other man staggered backwards. "How dare you say that to me!"

Morinaga was holding his head, his eyes filled with—what seemed to Souichi—accusation and blame. So it was now his fault that everything was going to hell? And he had thought that Morinaga had understood! All the frustrations and stress of the past few weeks bubbled up in him, spewing forth in scalding words. "What have I been doing? What do you think I've been doing? If not for our future, why the fuck would I be slogging my guts out every day!"

Souichi stalked towards the front door and yanked it open. Turning back one last time, his tone sharpened by his hurt and fury. "I'm pregnant, not terminally ill! Stop—stop using the baby as an excuse for your desire to monopolise me! I _hate_ it!"

The door slammed with a ferocity that shook the foundations of the house.

* * *

For the umpteenth time that day, Souichi found himself recalling the morning's fight with Morinaga. Try as he might, Morinaga's stricken face as he cradled his head was all he could see in front of his eyes now. The words he had thrown out so thoughtlessly swirled bitterly in his mouth. Swiping the logbook aside, Souichi sank down on a stool, suddenly feeling very tired.

"Beeeeep!" The stopwatch on the bench rang jarringly, jolting Souichi out of his reverie. Disoriented, it was a while before he realized that the samples were ready. Hurriedly, Souichi removed the tubes from the water bath, placing them into a rack on the cluttered table.

One, two, three…There were still six more samples to go. With a sigh, Souichi thought of throwing them to Yamaha. The bastard had finally returned to school today but had resolutely ignored everybody. If Souichi had entertained thoughts that Yamaha had finally started to mellow, he was sorely proven wrong. What Souichi could sense from the boy now was outright antagonism. Once or twice, he had raised his head only to find Yamaha glaring at him with something akin to hatred.

One Morinaga was enough. Souichi didn't think he was up to handling Yamaha too. Setting to work on the remaining samples, Souichi forced himself to focus but it was useless. There was a crushing weight of guilt in his chest, and it only became heavier as time passed. "Shit…!"

He had flared up at Morinaga unfairly. The problem with Yamaha, the delay with the experiments, his cold and all the discomforts that came with pregnancy had all coalesced into a mass of frustration and anger that had detonated without reason at the innocent younger man.

Morinaga had been concerned about him but he had thrown that back in his face. Souichi knew that he had been pulling too many long hours and had indeed fallen sick because of it. It was only sheer stubbornness that had kept him going for the past few days. But mostly, the reason why Souichi had survived so far was because Morinaga had been there.

_You can be so…so selfish sometimes, Sempai…!_ Morinaga's words dug deep; bloody hell—Souichi still felt pissed at the memory. But they forced him to think back on his actions for the past few weeks. Souichi had squeezed three months of lab work into one, starting labs as early as seven am and ending as late as eleven pm. Data analysis and lab preparation had meant burning the midnight oil even after he had reached home. If not for Morinaga, Souichi could well have forgone basic activities, such as eating on time and sleeping.

The full impact of Morinaga's words hit him then. He pressed a palm against his belly and gazed at the soft rise peeking behind his lab coat. Waves of remorse washed through him. His way of living was a huge spectrum away from the optimal lifestyle for himself or the baby. No matter how valid the reason for his hard work, Souichi had to spare a thought for the little life depending on him.

He had to learn how to strike a balance between work and health. Gone were the days when he could carry out multiple twelve-hour lab shifts and focus only on his research and studies. Now, he was Morinaga's partner and the father of their baby. Every action of his would no longer impact him alone but also affect them. He had a family that he should prioritize before everything else, even work.

Souichi shot up and hastened to pack away the apparatus and reagents from the table. If he intended to change, he had to start immediately and resolutely. In less than fifteen minutes, the samples were safely stored away into the freezer, the bench was pristine and Souichi was ready to call it a night.

The sound of running water at the back of the lab caused him to look towards the direction of the fumehoods. Oh crap, he had totally forgotten about Yamaha. The man had also stayed back tonight to rush out the raw extraction for the last few samples. Souichi made his way to the Japanese- American. Seeing as the experiment had already been extended, there was no point in exhausting him.

"Yamaha, thanks for staying back. If you are not done with the samples, just continue tomorrow. Take a rest tonight."

The blonde did not acknowledge his presence and continued rinsing the beakers in the sink. However, Yamaha's ramrod posture was enough to tell Souichi that the man was just blatantly ignoring him. "Yamaha! I said you could go home now! Clear any unwanted apparatus and lock up the lab before you leave. I'm going off first." Souichi did not bother to wait for a response and was about to leave when he heard muttering from behind.

"…Fuck you…It's all your fault…"

"What? What are you talking about?"

Yamaha whirled around, anger and accusation twisting his mixed features. "It's all your goddamn fault!"

Startled at the viciousness of his tone, Souichi frowned in incomprehension. "Why are you so angry? If you are talking about the experiment then—"

"My grandma's dead and I didn't manage to talk to her a last time! And it's your entire fault for making me stay back that night! I told you that it was an emergency call that time but you didn't listen! Fuck you, fuck your authority!"

Yamaha's arms shot out and shoved Souichi backwards, hard. His head snapped back and hit the control panel of the fumehood. Scrambling for purchase, Souichi gripped the ledge of the chamber to prevent from falling. The sharp fear for his baby's safety compounded his anger.

"What the fuck, Yamaha? What the hell are you talking about!"

Yamaha jerked off the stream of water from the tap. "I'm talking about the day when you ripped me off about this very fumehood! I was away taking a phone call from my father at that time because of my grandmother's sudden fall. But did you hear me out? No! All you did was yell at me, again! And then she died that very night while I was in this lab, doing some fucking experiment on some stupid plants!"

Souichi was taken aback at Yamaha's outburst. He must have had been busy with the funeral preparations for his grandmother for the past few days. Sympathy began to well up in him. "…Shit…I'm sorry, Yamaha, if you had told me about it, I would have understood and let you leave…!"

The man before him merely laughed bitterly. "Would you? Aren't you already biased against me? You have humiliated me time and time again, always scolding and shouting at me in front of the others! When I do something, you nitpick at my every action! I'm not an imbecile, goddamn you!"

Neither of the men heard the hiss of gas from the hydrogen gas tube in the fumehood, nor saw that the alarm system was no longer switched on. In the corner of the chamber, an open beaker of flammable methanol sat beside the distillatory equipment.

Souichi pushed away from the fumehood, his expression clouded with anger. "If you committed an error, I will correct you! It's my responsibility as a supervisor and _your_ responsibility as a student to learn instead of bitching about others! If you had paid more attention to work and less on your ego then you would have realized that long ago! You may not be experienced yet but I sure as hell did not say that you were incompetent!"

"I heard the other PhD students! They think I don't notice their whispering but I know that they just don't like me, like you! Because of bastards like you all, my grandma, who brought me up from a baby, died without seeing me for a last time! How the hell are you going to make it up to me!" Yamaha swept wildly at the glassware by the sink, the splintering shatter of the equipment piercing through the night air.

Souichi slapped the man across his face, the smack loud enough to echo. "What the fuck do you think you are doing? School is not where you throw your tantrums as and when you please! What would your grandma think, seeing you act so willfully!"

The younger man staggered backwards, hitting the fumehood. Cradling the cheek that was rapidly turning red, Yamaha snarled, "Y-you slapped me! Fucking hell!" He made to tackle Souichi, hands curled into fists as he surged towards him.

The rumbling was the only warning they got a split second before Souichi realized what was going to happen. "Get down, Yamaha-!" Without thinking, he cuffed his arms around Yamaha's neck and brought him down in front of him. The two of them fell forwards as a deafening roar resonated from behind.

"Sempai!"

For a wild moment, Souichi thought he was hearing voices. He felt a pair of strong arms cushion his fall; a warm chest curve around his back. Morinaga? What was Morinaga doing here?! However, the questions were thrown from his mind when the air around him suddenly rippled visibly. For a frozen second, everything went still and silent.

Then his world exploded.

* * *

**To be continued.**


	5. Seed

**a/n: Thank you for all the comments! It was great to know about the reactions you all got after reading the previous chapters. **

**Please enjoy:chapter 5 :)**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Seed**

**xxx Souichi xxx**

"Patient was found unconscious at scene of accident…"

"…Heart rate is 85 bpm!"

"Lacerations and burns concentrated at the calves and thighs; CT scan required to check for primary blast injuries!"

"…Prepare emergency chamber C! Radiological scan and X- ray machines to be readied for use immediately!"

Souichi opened his eyes to a cacophony of voices. Overhead, green-white ceiling raced through oblongs of fluorescent light. Nebulous shapes were lined around him, their figures blurred with movement.

It eventually registered that he was lying on a white bed, being wheeled along by six people all in white. White. Everything was white—the walls—the sheets—the lights—the people.

His lids fluttered close. In the hazy abyss between unconsciousness and wakefulness, the black was a welcome respite. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, a keening echoed weakly. In the dark, Souichi's ears pricked and he turned towards it. Fear and protectiveness welled up in him and he began to move, pushing frantically through the air that was thick like molasses in this dream- like world. He had to get to the sound. There was something there that he had forgotten about, something that felt tiny but yet infinitely precious to him…

With a strangled gasp, Souichi emerged fully from the darkness. The outside world bled with colours; focused and sharpened into exaggerated clarity on his overwhelmed senses. A foreign sensation was spreading slowly in his lower abdomen, a roiling and cramping that he had never felt before. As the entourage swept down the endless corridor, something contracted, tight and sharp, in his womb. "H-hnnn-!" Broken thoughts swam as his hands reached blindly for the small mound of his womb and cradled it. Souichi moaned and curled up involuntarily as the cramping pain crested and ebbed deep within.

"The patient has regained consciousness!" There was a flurry of noise and Souichi felt his eyelids being stretched open and a bright beam shine into his pupils. "Pupils are dilating and responding to light! Patient is fully conscious!"

A blaze of pain seared down his entire back as another cramp rolled in and Souichi could no longer hold back the tears of pain and abject terror. Somebody, anybody, had to know that he was pregnant and there was something wrong with the baby! Clawing at the respirator until it fell limply to the side, he made to shout but all that came out were half- strangled syllables that caught at the base of his throat.

A paramedic beside Souichi noticed his agitation and saw his lips moving soundlessly. Misinterpreting his anxiety, the man spoke kindly. "Sir, please do not worry; you are safely at the hospital. We will be wheeling you into the operating theatre shortly." He moved to replace the respirator over Souichi's mouth.

Shaking his head violently, Souichi gestured wildly to his womb, hoping that the nurse would get his point. "…!" Gasps of breath escaped as the pain sizzled through him.

"Ah, sir, please calm down. We will be doing some internal scans and X- rays shortly to determine if there are any internal injuries…sir?"

Souichi had grabbed the paramedic by his wrist, tugging the startled man closer to him. Forcing and pushing at his broken throat, a thin rasp finally broke from his lips. "…Baby…m-my baby…" His wisp of a voice was barely audible over the dissonance around them. Souichi's fingers bit into the man's soft flesh as his other hand wrapped around his aching womb. "…Baby…f-four months…m-must…save him…!"

The effort proved to be too much. Souichi barely registered the shocked expression on the paramedic's face before the dizzying pain overtook him and he slumped back onto the stretcher, hands going limp as unrelenting waves of oblivion brought him under.

* * *

Souichi woke up two days after the accident. As the disorientation faded, his hands immediately ran over the firm curve of his belly. Souichi waited for the cramps to come as he lay motionless, heart pounding so hard with dread that he was almost breathless.

When a full minute passed and everything remained peaceful, the cold vice of fear around his heart loosened a little. He relaxed a fraction against the sheets, a hand still curved protectively around his child. Souichi fervently hoped that his wish for it to be safe would be transmitted, somehow, to the little life inside of him.

"Nii- san!"

Kanako tunneled into his side, causing him to grimace in pain as her hug jarred his legs. A grunt escaped from him and Kanako looked up, twin streaks of tears coming down her face.

"…K…nak…" Her name came out in a raspy croak. Souichi's throat felt raw and tender and the simple act of swallowing made his throat feel like someone had rubbed it with sandpaper and then sprinkled powdered glass in it.

Kanako shook her head and pressed her face against his chest again. "Nii- san, don't speak; Dr. Hako said that you hurt your throat during th-the explosion and you shouldn't strain it yet. Here, I prepared this for you." Wiping her eyes, she rummaged through her sling bag and retrieved a notepad and a ballpoint pen. "If you need to say anything, just write it here."

Souichi received the stationery, his eyes softened as he ruffled his sister's hair. Kanako was a very intelligent child and always knew what to do in any situation. Immediately, he flipped to the first page of the pad, hands already busy scrawling out the questions utmost on his mind.

_The baby…I need to know if he's really safe. Where's the doctor? _

_And Morinaga—is he fine? Safe? Where is he? _

Before Kanako could answer his urgently scribbled questions, a gruff voice boomed from the entrance of the private ward.

"Tatsumi- san? I see you have awakened! This is good news!" Dr. Hako stepped into the ward and strode towards Souichi. "You are in the obstetrics ward now and I'm in charge of your post- surgery care, seeing as I'm also your attending physician for your pregnancy."

Dr. Hako smiled kindly at Souichi, who scrambled for the notepad but Dr. Hako stilled him. "I know what you want to ask, Tatsumi- san," the doctor glanced at the protective way Souichi's hand lay over his womb. "The baby's fine now; we managed to stabilize him and curb the premature contractions that started soon after you entered surgery."

The sense of relief that swept through Souichi was so strong that his throat ached with the effort of holding back the enormous swell of emotion. Taking several deep breaths, it was only a few moments later that he finally calmed down enough to look at the doctor. Souichi's hand flew across the notepad.

_Thank you._

With a gentle smile, Dr. Hako accepted Souichi's message, folding the paper into neat squares before tucking it carefully into his breast pocket. "I'll be keeping that as a momento! Now, the thing that you have to do for yourself and your baby is complete bed rest for the next few weeks.

"Of course, the rest would also do your other injuries well. We had to do a skin graft on both of your calves because of the third- degree chemical burns, and your left thigh suffered a pretty deep gash," Dr. Hako gestured to the places where Souichi's legs were heavily bandaged. "Your vocal cords and esophagus were also partially damaged by the high pressure of the explosion but they should heal naturally in about a month if you don't strain them. So you'll be on a liquid diet until we see a significant improvement in the throat lining."

Dr. Hako turned to Kanako and patted her head. "Kanako- chan here has been a great help—continue to take care of your Nii- san, ne, Kanako- chan?" At Kanako's solemn nod, the doctor looked at Souichi again, his usually piercing gaze warm as he spoke thoughtfully. "Tatsumi- san, I have to say; from what I heard about the magnitude of the explosion, you, and the baby, have been very lucky." Putting down the clipboard of stats on Souichi's condition, Dr. Hako nodded in satisfaction and began to walk towards the exit. "Remember, no movement or leaving the bed anytime soon, regardless of anything or…anyone, Tatsumi- san! You are my patient, and your well-being, as well as the baby's, takes priority for me. Take care and I'll be back in the evening to check in on you."

Souichi's aunt entered the ward a few minutes after the doctor left, accompanied by Prof. Fukushima. Matsuda- san immediately hurried towards him when she saw that he was awake. "Sou- kun, thank goodness you are fine! And the baby too-!"

At the sharp intake of breath behind them, Matsuda- san gasped in dismay, realizing her slip of tongue. Prof. Fukushima looked stunned, frozen halfway across the ward. Souichi sighed but he squeezed Matsuda- san's hand gently to tell her that it was all right. The time had come for the truth and it was not as though Souichi could hide it any longer, the rise of his womb visible without the cover of the blanket. Reaching for the notepad, he rapidly wrote out the words he had to say.

_Professor, I can't speak because of my injured throat. However, I still have to apologise for the breach of your trust. Yes, the reason why I applied for a year's leave of absence from the program was because I am pregnant. It sounds impossible, but it is the truth. _

Souichi watched the older man scan through the words; reread them several times. It was a long, drawn out moment before Prof. Fukushima finally spoke. "…Well, this explains why you are in the obstetrics ward; I thought for a moment that they had placed you in the wrong ward…Seems like it wasn't the case…" Prof. Fukushima paused uncertainly before he finally looked fully at Souichi, his eyes darting towards his belly. "How far along are you?"

_I'm four months pregnant. I found out about it two months ago._

"Ah, I see, I see…goodness...! Then it's exceptionally fortunate that both of you are fine!" Prof. Fukushima exclaimed, his tone at once worried and relieved. "Well, congratulations, Tatsumi. Your pregnancy was very…unexpected but it is still good news nonetheless," Prof. Fukushima coughed in slight embarrassment. "If you need it, I could turn your leave of absence into maternity leave so that you will still receive the salary commanded by the program. I think that would be rather more useful. Of course, I'll handle it with confidentiality. You are my best student, after all." A faint smile of pride was beginning to spread across the wrinkled face of his professor.

Seeing it and hearing those words of encouragement, Souichi bowed gratefully at the man that had been his mentor for half a decade.

_Thank you, Prof. Fukushima. I didn't want any unwanted trouble for the school because of my pregnancy but I would definitely appreciate your help._

"You have always considered the consequences of every move, and that's what has made you into the good scientist that you are. Take good care; I'll be going to visit Yamaha now. The news of the accident in our lab was very shocking but thank goodness that you—you both seem to be doing fine." Prof. Fukushima nodded solicitously at the three of them before leaving the room quietly.

Somebody other than his immediate family now knew the truth but it seemed that Prof. Fukushima had accepted it with aplomb. Souichi was thankful but at the mention of Yamaha's name, his face darkened.

_Matsuda- san, how—how is Morinaga? Have you both gone to visit him? Is he doing fine?_

Nobody had brought up Morinaga's condition yet, although Souichi had been awake for close to an hour. At his query, a shadow seemed to pass across his aunt's face but it was gone in the next instant. The older woman began to fuss over Souichi again, flitting around him as she sought to make him comfortable.

"Ahh, Sou- kun, you should take a rest now! You have just come out of surgery so just think about recovering and taking care of the baby! Kanako- chan, could you ring for the nurse and ask her to bring your Nii- san some warm water?"

_Could you and Kanako go and see Morinaga soon? Please._

Unable to avoid the notepad that Souichi had basically shoved in her face, Matsuda- san nodded before she quickly turned to talk to Kanako. However, Souichi had caught the hooded worry in her dark eyes before she averted her gaze. A sense of disquiet settled into the pit of his stomach. What were they not telling him? Dr. Hako's and Prof. Fukushima's words echoed in his mind—the explosion had sounded quite serious. Souichi could not recall much of the accident even though he had been directly involved.

_"Yamaha, get down-!"_

_"Sempai!"_

The sensation of being grabbed in Morinaga's arms before he had crashed onto the laboratory floor was his clearest memory of the accident. Everything else had blanked out and the next time he opened his eyes, he had already been in hospital. If the explosion had been as bad as it seemed to be then…

Souichi jolted upright. Pushing away the gray blanket, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed, unheeding of all the advice that Dr. Hako had just told him. He had to get to Morinaga. The baka had jumped between him and the blast, using his own body to shield them. If, if something bad were to have happened to him—Souichi did not get past that thought as his legs gave out beneath his weight and he was crashing down, down onto the hard floor—

"Sou-kun!"

"Nii- san!"

Matsuda- san and Kanako caught him in time. Heaving in exertion, the two ladies carefully lifted him back onto the bed but he resisted, fighting against their arms. "…Hnn!" The urgent fear was back. In near panic, Souichi's struggles renewed and he very nearly toppled from the bed. "…et me…g-go…!"

"Sou- kun!" Matsuda- san finally shouted. Stunned silent by Matsuda- san's unexpected show of anger, Souichi stopped struggling.

"For the sake of yourself and the baby, stay in bed! I-I know that you are worried about Morinaga- san but he wouldn't want you to hurt yourself! If anything were to happen to you again, I wouldn't know how to face your parents-! You have to listen to what Dr. Hako said!"

Souichi barely felt Matsuda- san's hands as she tucked him firmly back into bed. Blood was rushing in his ears; his heart was thrumming painfully in his chest. Souichi could not bear to think of the one possibility why those people were not telling him about Morinaga. No, the baka had promised him—he had promised him…

"Nii- san—?"

Souichi almost stabbed through the notepad with the tip of the ballpoint pen as he etched out the question on the thin paper. It was unthinkable; it was nauseating—but seeing the words in black and white only compounded the urgency and he hardened his will. Roughly, Souichi thrust the pad against Kanako, silently demanding that she tell him the truth.

_Is he dead?_

_Is Morinaga…dead?_

* * *

**To be continued.**


	6. Reborn

**Chapter 6: Reborn**

**xxx Souichi xxx**

"Nii- san, what are you talking about! Morinaga- san is definitely not dead!" Kanako exclaimed in shock. "It's just—he was still in a coma this morning when we went to visit him—"

Morinaga was alive. Souichi did not hear the rest of Kanako's words as he slumped back weakly on the pillows. Hot moisture was gathering rapidly beneath his lids. Souichi flung an arm over his eyes, trying futilely to contain the emotions that had leapt up in his throat. For the first time in his life, as silent sobs wrecked through him, Souichi understood acutely what it meant to give his heart to someone else. His heart was no longer his own; it was Morinaga's to do as he pleased; his forever to bind Souichi's existence with his own. His chest was a gaping wound, gasping and bleeding as his heart was ripped out. _Baka Morinaga, baka, baka…_

For a long, long moment, his shuddering breaths were the only sounds in the silent ward.

When at last every bead of emotion was wrung out of him, Souichi only then remembered that Kanako was still sitting by his side. Immediately, he dried his face and sat up, appalled that he had let his defenses down in front of his little sister. However, Kanako's warm hand was clutching his and Souichi realized that it had probably been doing so for a while. Kanako herself was sniffling but she gave a watery smile when Souichi squeezed her hand in silent thanks.

"Nii- san, if you are really that worried, I could try to persuade Dr. Hako to give you permission to go to the ICU for a while. Is that okay?"

..._That was exactly what I wanted. Could you go and find him now? I want to go immediately. _

"I'll go with Kanako—stay here and wait, Sou-kun…" Matsuda- san had been silent ever since her outburst but now, her countenance was softened. Souichi bowed his head as she patted his cheek. The fact that she had volunteered to go with Kanako spoke volumes about her change of mind to let him get out of the bed and visit Morinaga.

The two females had barely left the ward when there was a soft knock at the door before the last man that Souichi wanted to see, ever, entered.

"Tatsumi- Sempai—"

The notepad hit the visitor's chest empathetically. Souichi did not need to use his voice to get his meaning across.

Yamaha halted to a stop, bending down jerkily to pick up the fallen piece of stationery. There was an awkward pause as his kouhai debated whether to advance. Souichi lay back on the bed and turned away. He did not want to see, or even tolerate this man whose willfulness had resulted in this entire disaster. Souichi had nearly lost Morinaga and their baby and damned if he was ever going to forgive Yamaha!

"T-tasumi- Sempai…" Apparently Yamaha was not only a spoilt child but also an obtuse one to boot. "I know that it might not mean anything to you now but I-I just wanted to apologise…if—if I had known that you were p-pregnant then I would never have started a fight with you…! Prof. Fukushima told me that the hydrogen gas supply had been accidentally turned on…I think—I think that it might been switched on when I pushed you that time…I'm so s-sorry!"

Souichi flung the blanket aside, incensed. The asshole had the gall to come and apologise after the fact! Did he even realise what he had caused Morinaga and him to suffer through? Were it not for the fact that he was injured, Souichi would already have thrown Yamaha physically from the room. As it was, he could only glare at the sniffling man in front of him. If Yamaha thought that bowing and apologizing was going to be sufficient then Souichi was going to show him how wrong he was. He pressed the intercom button and seconds later, a nurse in a blue pinafore entered. Using gestures, Souichi got his intention across.

"Sir, please leave the room now. You are disrupting the patient." The nurse politely but firmly began to lead Yamaha out of the room.

"I am truly sorry, Tatsumi- Sempai! Please-!"

Souichi's stance did not soften. Soon, Yamaha had exited the ward and the room returned to its peaceful state.

* * *

On the seventh floor, the lift doors opened to the corridor outside the intensive care unit with a soft _ping! _Matsuda- san wheeled him into the department, the wheels cutting troughs into the soft carpet. Fear and anticipation grew as he approached ward seventeen.

Morinaga's name was printed neatly in kanji on the door. Through the clear observation glass, the dim glow of the cardiac monitor shone, displaying Morinaga's heartbeats in a pattern of peaks and dips.

His effervescent puppy was lying uncharacteristically still and silent on the raised bed, his head swathed with gauze and bandages. The thick bindings around his torso were visible even through the hospital gown. Morinaga's face was turned towards him and Souichi sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of his grayish- pale complexion, so unlike his usual radiant and healthy tone. His heart ached as he once again took in the battered form of his lover and Souichi now understood why Matsuda- san and Kanako had been reluctant to say anything to him.

Dr. Hako had dropped by his ward again a few minutes ago and had allowed Souichi to visit Morinaga for thirty minutes. The doctor had also updated him on Morinaga's condition. The high pressures produced by the blast had caused abdominal bleeding and a concussion, with extensive lacerations and chemical burns on his back and limbs. The concussion was the major reason why Morinaga had not woken up even after three days.

Souichi entered the darkened ward, Matsuda- san leaving quietly to give them privacy. The beeping and hissing of the machines drowned out the soft clicks of the chair's wheels. Thwarted by the size of the wheelchair, Souichi could only get as far as the bed end. He was so near and yet so far. Exhaling in frustration, he finally spied the plastic chair next to the bed.

The move to stand up nearly caused him to pitch forwards. The gash in his thigh had cut through the ligament and his left leg was now almost useless in supporting his weight. Nevertheless, Souichi moved determinedly, using the bed as a crutch. With every small step, he came closer to the man that was currently tearing his heart into shreds.

_Morinaga…_ Souichi worked his throat but the name that formed so easily in his mind refused to come out in sound. He made no move to touch the sleeping man, merely sat there listening to the puffing and sucking of the respirator that was proof that the man lying so still on the bed was alive and breathing.

Souichi had thought it was enough just to be able to see him. But even as he witnessed the rise and fall of Morianaga's chest and felt the weak pulse at his wrist, the disquiet gripping his heart refused to go away. If Morinaga never woke up…

_"Stop—stop using the baby as an excuse for your desire to monopolise me! I hate it!"_

The harsh, acidic remarks burned in his memory. He had not gotten the chance to make it up to Morinaga; had never imagined that the night would turn out the way it had.

This was the second time that he had come close to losing Morinaga. The same, shapeless fear rose up in him, much like it had done the night Morinaga had been trapped in his burning house. But this was worse, so much worse. At that time, Souichi had, at least, been able to do something to save Morinaga and he had done so, jumping into the fiery flames when even the firefighters had given up. Souichi had found Morinaga in the altar room, cherubic face all sooty and tear- stained while pinned under a heavy cabinet. But he had been alive—alive and talking and being _so_ foolishly touched when he had realized that Souichi had come for him.

But the Morinaga now was ignoring him, those earnest eyes closed and pouty mouth breathing labouriously with the aid of the respirator. Souichi leaned forwards until his forehead touched the cold skin of Morinaga's hand. Faintly, he wondered if Morinaga could hear him when he could not even speak. _You are so quiet today. Usually I'd have to punch you to get you to stop calling me…_ His breath hitched hoarsely. _Are you listening to me? Wake up and say something, baka! If—if you don't wake up, how the hell do you want me to apologise? Bastard, idiot!_ His nails dug into Morinaga's cool flesh, droplets of moisture falling between their intertwined fingers. _You promised me, Morinaga…so come back here..._

_Come back to my side. _

* * *

**xxx Tetsuhiro xxx**

_Morinaga…_

Tetsuhiro was floating slowly upwards, as though carried by a gentle wave. Cresting the surface, the drowsy heaviness continued to pull at him and it was almost too much work to try lifting his lids.

It took enormous effort to let go of the soothing dark. With a soft start, Tetsuhiro finally opened his eyes, blinking owlishly at the muted light shining from the corridors. The first thing he saw was someone dozing near his right hand, the person's cheek grazing his bandaged fingers.

Sempai's hand was soft and warm as it lay over his own, their fingers loosely laced together. Tetsuhiro flexed his fingers, ignoring the pain as he reversed their positions and enclosed Sempai's hand in his larger one.

"…S-sempai…" His breath clouded the respirator and his voice came out muffled. Summoning all his strength, Tetsuhiro tried shifting closer to Souichi but all he managed to do was to awaken his numbed muscles. His entire back burned and seared, the tight bandages around his torso restraining his movements. Tetsuhiro gritted his teeth as he tried to find a more comfortable position that would alleviate the pins and needles pricking hotly beneath his skin. Beside him, Souichi stirred and Tetsuhiro immediately stilled. Slowly, Souichi rose from his slumber. Tetsuhiro watched tenderly as the other man lifted his head from their entwined hands, yawned a little and then turned to look at his face.

There was a tangible jolt when their eyes met in the darkness. Tetsuhiro saw a myriad of emotions flit through those beautiful amber eyes—relief, shock, guilt, and gladness. Almost immediately, Souichi agitatedly rose up but with a strangled cry, he collapsed back into the chair.

"Sempai!" Tetsuhiro reached out to steady Souichi, the respirator torn from his mouth with his rough lunge.

Their hands touched and suddenly, Souichi was leaning towards him, elbows propping his body against the bed as his lips sought Tetsuhiro's, sucking and pulling with a fervor that took Tetsuhiro by surprise. Slackened with shock, he felt Souichi's tongue flick quickly into his mouth and lap at the underside of his own. Tetsuhiro closed his eyes, the hand that was not attached to the IV wrapping snugly around Souichi's heaving body as they deepened the kiss.

Bit by bit, the pain and the hurt fell aside; faded into oblivion as Tetsuhiro drowned in the arms of the person he loved more than life itself.

* * *

An unfamiliar face was peering anxiously into his ward when Tetsuhiro woke up the next morning. He smiled curiously at the man, who looked about his age. From the sling around his arm and the bandage wrapped around his forehead, the passerby seemed to be a patient at the hospital too.

To his surprise, the man knocked on his door a moment later. Tetsuhiro bade him to enter and before long, there was an awkward silence in the small room as the two of them, strangers to each other, stared at each other.

"Uh, good morning! I'm Morinaga Tetsuhiro; I don't think we have met before. Nice meeting you for the first time!"

To his shock, at the mention of his name, the man's face flushed a dull red and he looked even more miserable than ever. "…Yamaha. Yamaha Ryuichi. I am—I am Tatsumi- Sempai's new lab assistant…I know who you are…"

"Ahh, a junior then! I was also Sempai's assistant for a few years, just before you! It's no surprise then that you heard of me… Anyway, are you staying at the hospital too? I noticed the injuries." Tetsuhiro winced as he tried to sit up, gesturing towards Yamaha's arm.

Tetsuhiro almost did not catch the words that emitted from him as Yamaha bent his head, averting his gaze from Tetsuhiro.

"Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch what you said just now…?"

"I am sorry! It's all my fault!"

"Ehh? Yamaha- san? Yamaha- san!" However, the other man had already left the room, leaving Tetsuhiro alone and even more perplexed than before. Sempai's new assistant, whom he had met for the first time, had suddenly just dropped by and apologized to him without any further explanation. The question was if Tetsuhiro had never even met him before, how could he have done something to him that the man had to be apologetic about?

* * *

**To be continued.**


	7. New Leaves

**Chapter 7: New leaves**

**xxx Tetsuhiro xxx**

Tetsuhiro was sitting up in bed a few days later, glumly flipping through a manga. He had not seen Sempai since the day that he had woken up. With their enforced bed rest and Sempai's injured throat, there was no hope of direct communication and Tetsuhiro was suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms. Even Matsuda- san and Kanako's daily visits to keep him updated on Sempai's and the baby's conditions were not nearly enough.

He had to suck it up like a man. Bemoaning his loneliness when Sempai and their baby had escaped unscathed from the accident made him feel ungrateful. Tetsuhiro was profoundly thankful to heaven that he had decided to go and assist Souichi in his lab work that night. It surely had to have been the work of a greater being that Tetsuhiro had been able to get to Souichi and their baby in time, although it had been a close shave.

_The air was unusually cool that night as Tetsuhiro made his way to the university. Shivering, he tucked his neck further into his coat collar and checked that he had remembered to bring Sempai's scarf. Gloomily, with his soles scuffing the cobbled pavement, Tetsuhiro wondered if Sempai would welcome his gestures after their argument that had escalated into a fight that morning. _

_After Souichi had left for school, Tetsuhiro had spent the entire day in a stupor, their argument running ceaselessly in his head. Tetsuhiro had been worried to the point of being upset to see Sempai overworking himself in his condition. Despite the fact that he was a scientist himself, Tetsuhiro could not let some research work, no matter how expensive, to jeopardize Sempai or their baby's health._

_However, in the midst of his self- righteous anger, Tetsuhiro realized that he had been placing his own set of values onto Souichi and disregarded the prominence that work played in his partner's life. While berating Sempai for his selfishness, Tetsuhiro himself had forgotten about his vow to support Souichi through everything. He had warned of his hectic schedule but Tetsuhiro had been naïve enough to think that Souichi could simply drop all his other responsibilities for the baby. _

_Immersed in frustration and self- reproach, Tetsuhiro rapidly climbed the steps to the labs. Somehow, he had to make amends. Sempai already had a lot on his plate; Tetsuhiro had to shelf his over- protective instincts and help out in a more practical and useful manner. He knew how to carry out the colourimetric assay that Sempai had been working on. If Sempai had to pull an all- nighter then Tetsuhiro was definitely going to be there to ease his workload as much as he could._

_Nearing the main laboratory, Tetsuhiro was surprised to hear raised voices, one of them Sempai's, through the walls. In the next moment, the splendid crash of glass against linoleum echoed down the deserted corridor and he picked up his pace. Was there a fight going on? In Sempai's condition, that would be dangerous! _

_"You slapped me! Fucking hell!" An unfamiliar male voice shrieked loudly but before Tetsuhiro could register the meaning of those words, he distinctly felt a tremor as he reached the backdoor of the lab. _

_Snatching open the door, Tetsuhiro glanced wildly around and almost immediately spied Souichi and another man near the fumehoods._

_"Get down, Yamaha-!"_

_At Souichi's yell, Tetsuhiro's eyes snapped towards the fumehood where the hissing sound of escaping gas could now be heard loudly. He took in the green light on the "Hydrogen gas supply" button on the control panel; noticed the beaker of seemingly innocuous liquid in the chamber and his body immediately, instinctively flew forwards, flinging his arms out to catch Souichi before he could crash onto the floor. _

_"Sempai!"_

_A sonic wave rippled over them for a microsecond before there was a huge boom that shattered the glass windows situated high up on the walls. The expulsion of air was so strong that they were thrown forwards and Tetsuhiro heard Souichi's muffled shout as it struck them. Tetsuhiro shifted his arms just in time to prevent Souichi's body from slamming into the wooden sides of the lab benches. There was a sickening crunch in his shoulders but he ignored the rising pain. To his terror, Sempai had gone limp in his arms. Frantically, he cradled Souichi against his chest and tried to stand up, unaware that he was shouting mindlessly at the unconscious man to wake up. Amidst the pounding of his heart and the after- tremors of the explosion, Tetsuhiro felt disoriented. Where was the exit?_

_"This way! Come this way! The exit's here!" Distantly, Tetsuhiro heard the urgent shouting of another man and he began to run in that direction. There was an ominous crackle and he had barely taken three steps when a ball of orange heat burst out. The glassware drying at the sinks exploded and suddenly, it was raining crystal bullets. With a cry, Tetsuhiro hunched forwards and gathered Souichi tightly to him, using his body as a shield as he raced towards the wooden doors that beckoned safety._

_As he neared the doors, there was an audible suction of air and Tetsuhiro could literally feel the pressure in the lab shoot up, the air like a solid wall pushing and pressing against his back. They made it out of the lab just as the second explosion erupted, yellow flickers of flames visible through the glass panels of the doors._

_Tetsuhiro carried Souichi's limp body as far away as he could from the burning lab. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Yamaha already dialing on his undamaged cell. Stumbling, his vision beginning to waver and turn gray, Tetsuhiro finally stopped outside of Prof. Fukushima's office, where he gently lay Souichi down on the bench that was set against the wall. Falling softly beside Sempai's prone body, he took hold of one limp hand, squeezing it tightly. "Sempai, it'll be all right; help is coming…it's coming soon…" Unaware of the blood trickling out of his mouth, Tetsuhiro slowly slid down until he hit the cool floor, his eyes already rolled sightlessly upwards._

When a quiet knock sounded at his door, Tetsuhiro jolted out of his memories and looked up in surprise. Who could be visiting him?

"…Tetsuhiro?" His brother's voice, so rarely heard but familiar nonetheless, came tentatively from the door. To Tetsuhiro's surprise, he was not alone. Morinaga Kunihiro and Masaki Junya entered the ICU ward together. Masaki- san placed the fruit basket that he had brought on the bedside table while his Nii- san stood at the bed end, looking worried but also slightly awkward. "…The school contacted us about the accident. The explosion seemed quite serious so I'm glad that you seem to be doing fine." The older man seemed at a loss as to what to say next.

Ah, his family. Tetsuhiro should not have been surprised to see his brother here but it did. His father had disowned him a decade ago, and his mother and brother had also believed that Tetsuhiro's homosexuality had been the root cause of Masaki- san's suicide attempt and the accompanying scandal that had impacted both families. It was only because of Sempai's insistence that Tetsuhiro had finally told the truth to Kunihiro. He could see the internal struggle that his brother was going through as he tried to make up for the rift that had sprung up between the two siblings.

Masaki- san spoke up softly. "Tetsuhiro, I'm glad to see that you are doing well. We were really worried when the call from the school came to tell us that you had been involved in a lab accident. How are you feeling?"

Tetsuhiro smiled at the gentle man who had been his first partner but whose true love had not been him but his brother. Noticing the way Kunihiro's eyes flitted and stayed on Masaki- san's face when he spoke, Tetsuhiro hoped that things would finally go the way they could not have a decade ago. "I feel fine! It's just my back and my stomach; the doctor has put me on an intravenous diet, so I'm afraid that the fruits might be a little wasted…But, I'm really happy that you two came down to visit. Where are you both staying in Nagoya?"

A slight flush tinged Masaki- san's face and Tetsuhiro subtly felt the atmosphere between the other two men shift and transform into an intimate bubble that he was not a part of. "Uhh, we have been staying at N Hotel, just a few streets away. We actually arrived a few days ago and visited you but you were not conscious then. Kunihiro actually stayed overnight the first day that you were warded."

"W-what?" Turning to his older brother, Tetsuhiro felt surprised pleasure start to spread in his chest. The care and love from a family member had been absent from his life for so long that Tetsuhiro had stopped hoping, at least consciously. The absurd happiness that was murmuring through him now was proof that he had never stopped wanting for it. "Kunihi—N-Nii- san?"

With an embarrassed cough, Kunihiro rubbed the back of his neck, his face also oddly flushed. "Well, I—I just thought somebody should be by your side at such a time, being that you were quite seriously hurt and all that…The school should really look into its safety measures in the labs! What if something worse had happened…" The older man turned away sharply, his back towards Tetsuhiro.

Tetsuhiro distinctly heard the wavering tone in his brother's voice and it brought up the same prickle of tears in his own eyes. Beside him, Masaki- san smiled softly. "Your brother was really worried when he received the call from the school. He would have camped out in the hospital if I had not been there to nag at him to at least go back to the hotel to shower and get some sleep."

"Nii- san, I really appreciate your concern. It means…a lot to me for you to be here. And Masaki- san too…!" There were definitely tears in his eyes now and Tetsuhiro rubbed at them impatiently. He was too happy for tears at the moment.

Kunihiro remained stiffly at the bed end for a moment before he made for the door, pausing only when his hand was already at the doorknob. "…You don't have to thank me, I am your Onii- chan after all…Don't worry about the medical bills and just concentrate on recovering; I'll take care of the paperwork for the insurance. Junya, do you want to grab a bite at the cafeteria?"

"Ahh, sorry, Kunihiro but could you wait for me at the corridors? I have something to speak to Tetsuhiro about." Masaki- san waited until the door had closed behind Kunihiro before the fair-skinned man turned back towards Tetsuhiro. There was a pause; Tetsuhiro saw conflicting emotions flicker across the other man's face.

"…Well, Tetsuhiro, you must be wondering why I'm here with your brother in Nagoya…"

At Tetsuhiro's hesitant nod, Masaki- san said everything out in a rush. "Remember that I once told you about a man who was after me? I didn't tell you who it was but you may have guessed it…yes, it's Kunihiro. And, well, I don't know if it is the right thing to do, seeing as your brother has always been straight but, I have—we have decided to give it a try."

At the news, Tetsuhiro reached for Masaki- san's fidgeting hands and he grasped them firmly. "This is great news, Masaki- san! I wish you happiness from my heart!" At the relieved smile that was now blooming across his ex- lover's face, Tetsuhiro realized that the reason why Masaki- san had personally informed him about their relationship was because he still blamed himself for the past.

"Masaki- san? The past is the past and I've moved on and found my own happiness. So, I would want the same thing for you and for Nii- san," he squeezed the man's cold hands affectionately. "You know, Nii- san came to find you in Nagoya that time and I was the one who gave him the hotel address…did you both manage to meet?"

"Ahh, that night…yes—yes we did. We had some drinks at the hotel bar and talked some more…" A faraway look entered Masaki- san's eyes before he remembered that Tetsuhiro was still waiting for him to continue.

"Your brother, he's a good man…maybe too rigid in the past but he's changed so much now. Tetsuhiro, don't forget to keep in contact with him even after this, okay? He cares about you a lot." When his cell rang, Masaki- san took it out and looked at the caller ID. "It's your brother; I guess I'll have to leave now. Take care of yourself and thank you…for everything." With that, Masaki- san gave a little wave before he was out of the door, already on the phone.

Tetsuhiro settled back onto the bed, his facial muscles hurting because he was smiling so hard. Was this how it felt to be blessed? Sempai, their child, his Nii- san and Masaki- san—the people who made up his heart were all near him, safe, healthy and happy. It seemed absurd now that he had even felt an iota of loneliness when his heart was complete.

With his sunny disposition back in full force, Morinaga Tetsuhiro smiled and looked towards the beckoning future.

* * *

**To be continued.**


	8. New roots

**Chapter 8: New roots**

**xxx Souichi xxx**

In the quiet of their bedroom, Souichi lay snugly in Morinaga's arms, feeling the movements of his chest against his head as the younger man breathed. The two of them had finally been discharged from the hospital after a month of recuperation and it was their first night back in the familiar surroundings of home.

Having spent most of the month away from each other in different wards at the hospital, it was the first time that they had managed to get a chance to properly talk. There was plenty to talk about but for the moment, there was silence as they got used to each other's nearness after such a long time.

After a few more minutes, Souichi opened his mouth to speak. "Morinaga—"

"Sempai—"

Both of them had spoken up at the same time. Souichi plunged in first; the weight of guilt that he had carried ever since their fight that fateful morning causing the words to spill out. "Morinaga, I have already gotten the approval for leave from Prof. Fukushima; I'll be helping him with paperwork from home, so I won't be doing anymore lab work until after the baby is born…

Forging onwards despite the hitch of surprise from Morinaga, Souichi hesitantly reached for Morinaga's left temple. He remembered that he had raised a hand to the younger man in a fit of anger. The fact that he was often rough to Morinaga did not excuse his behaviour—he had lashed out at the man and Morinaga deserved an apology from him. "…I hit you here that time…my temper—it's not an excuse but many things had happened up till that point and I just snapped." He stroked the other man's head gently. "I'm sorry."

At the lack of reply from the other man, Souichi stiffened and he tried to move away, embarrassment and shame coursing through him. It seemed that Morinaga had not forgiven him for putting his work before their family. He tried to ignore the sick clenching in his stomach at the thought.

"Sempai! Don't go, please…" Morinaga's arms tightened around him and did not slacken even when Souichi renewed his struggles. "You don't have to be sorry with me, Sempai—I should be the one to apologise for shouting at you that morning…I was not supportive enough of your work and even gave you additional pressure." Morinaga's voice became muffled as he pressed his face against Souichi's hair. "I'm sorry for acting like a mother hen; it's just that—you don't know how much I just want you both to be safe and healthy...!"

The two of them were like idiots, apologizing endlessly to each other. Heaving a sigh, Souichi settled back against Morinaga's chest. The two of them lapsed into an intimate silence, Morinaga's hands cupping his rounded womb as he nuzzled Souichi's neck. It was quite a while later when Morinaga spoke up again.

"Sempai, what exactly happened that night? I heard you and somebody else shouting just before the explosion…did you have a fight with that person?"

At the mention of Yamaha, Souichi scowled, the hitherto latent anger chasing away the cobwebs of sleep. "…I don't want to talk about that idiot."

"Sempai, don't be angry…that man, he was Yamaha, isn't it? He came to visit me at the hospital the day after I woke up. He apologized to me, Sempai, even though I didn't, and still don't know why. What exactly happened that night?"

Souichi recalled the words of anger that had been uttered in the lab that particular night. He remembered the way Yamaha's face had contorted in fury; how the younger man had shoved him and he had hit his head against the control panel of the fumehoods…That must have been when the hydrogen gas supply had been switched on and the alarm accidentally turned off. If Yamaha had not acted so willfully, the entire fiasco would not have occurred. "That bastard nearly killed you just because he was pissed off with me…how the hell do you want me to stay calm regarding this?! If I had lost you then-!"

Souichi heard the sharp intake of breath against his back and he was mortified. His tongue was running away from him more and more these days! Struggling to get away and hide his burning face, it was Souichi's turn to gasp when Morinaga refused to release him and he was squeezed tightly from behind. "B-baka! I can't breathe, Morinaga!"

"I'm not letting go of you, Sempai! For me, too, all the nights that I lay in the hospital bed—I gave thanks that somehow, the gods allowed me to get to you and the baby in time…the thought that a second later and I would have been too late scares me until I couldn't even sleep…Sempai, I love you so, so much-!"

Ah, this was…With a sigh, Souichi shifted so that he was facing Morinaga, the sheets rustling softly as he brought the younger man's face up to look at him. Morinaga's eyes were red as he rubbed at them with his knuckles like a child. Cupping the younger man's face, Souichi gently stroked Morinaga's cheeks. This baka…his chest warmed as Morinaga, still sniffling, leaned into his touch. However, his next words brooked no room for rebuttal.

"Don't be so reckless again, _ever,_ you hear me?"

"…I can't promise you that, Sempai…" The other man grasped Souichi's hands and planted a kiss on the heel of his palm. "I would give my life again, no matter how many times, for you."

"Baka! I don't want that! I don't need you to act like a hero! I just—I just need you to remain by my side-don't you understand that!" Breathing unevenly, Souichi turned away from Morinaga's heated gaze as they sat in the middle of the bed. However, he did not resist when long fingers coaxed his face up to receive a long kiss from the other man.

Souichi held onto Morinaga's shirt as he was gently pushed down onto the bed, Morinaga's weight shifting until he was directly above him. Souichi caressed Morinaga's back as his mouth was ravished. A frown began to form as his hands ran across the numerous ridges jutting through the cashmere and Souichi broke off the kiss as the haze of passion dissipated. He lifted his lover's sweater, feeling the puckered scars sear his fingers. "Morinaga…!"

Morinaga must have noticed his distraught and the other man stilled Souichi's motions. "Sempai, it's okay, I'm fine now…See, touch me, I'm alive here," Morinaga pressed Souichi's palm against his heart. "And here, Sempai…" Morinaga's throbbing length felt hot and heavy in his hands and Souichi gasped. "Sempai, focus on the us of now, not the past…I treasure each and every scar, because they are reminders that you and our baby are safe…" Morinaga's face was strained, his voice thick with suppressed desire. "Love me now, Sempai…I need you-!"

Seeing the naked hunger burning in Morinaga's gaze, at the pink flush staining his cheeks as he took in ragged breaths, Souichi made up his mind in an instant. Pushing Morinaga away so that he could sit up, Souichi nudged at the surprised man until he spread his thighs. Blushing so hard that he thought he was going to die of embarrassment, Souichi settled down between Morinaga's long legs and he bent down, taking the entire length of Morinaga into his mouth before he could change his mind.

He had never done this before. Morinaga's hard organ filled his mouth fully and Souichi tried to swallow around the foreign sensation.

"Hnnn, S-sempai! What are you d-doing!"

At Morinaga's strangled words, it was clear that his kouhai had not been expecting this. To Souichi's surprise, the knowledge induced a sharp pleasure that traveled straight to his own groin. Experimentally, he began to suckle gently, letting his tongue lave around the leaking tip like how he remembered Morinaga had done for him.

"H-hahhh!"

Taking that as encouragement, Souichi stopped suckling and began to slide his mouth slowly away from Morinaga's shaft, letting his tongue transverse the hot sides, the rough friction turning him on and causing the other man to jolt and jerk.

"S-sempai-! It's so—mhmnn!"

Morinaga grabbed hold of his shoulders and thrust up jerkily. Souichi nearly gagged as the engorged shaft reached the back of his throat. Nonetheless, he began to bop his head, syncing his movements with Morinaga's hips. Using one hand, he squeezed and rubbed at the parts that he could not take into his mouth. Morinaga's movements began to speed up and Souichi sucked and pulled, his teeth grazing Morinaga's sides and tip. His tongue licked at the droplets of precome, spreading them down Morinaga's throbbing shaft to slicken the process.

"I-I can't hold it anymore, Sempai!"

In one smooth turn, Souichi was scooped up and pressed down on his back. Breathing harshly, his own arousal jutting up into Morinaga's stomach, Souichi moaned as Morinaga began to finger him. It was fast and impatient, one finger followed quickly by another. Souichi shivered, his arms coming around Morinaga's neck as they began to move, his thighs spread and lifted as Morinaga plunged repeatedly into him.

"M-morinaga…I love you…" With every stroke, Souichi clutched tighter to the man panting and groaning in front of him. "Love y-you—hnn…!" Morinaga had captured his lips with a drugging kiss and Souichi began to feel dazed with the onslaught of sensations rippling through him from head to toe.

"Ahhh!" Souichi arched upwards as Morinaga thrust rapidly, the heat spiraling and coiling in his groin gloriously. Every muscle within him tightened as it overtook him and it was not long before he was spurting hotly, Morinaga's seed also spilling deep into him as they surrendered to each other.

Panting, Souichi collapsed back against the tangled sheets, feeling Morinaga do the same beside him. A few moments passed in sated silence before Morinaga drew him in for a quiet kiss. Souichi could feel Morinaga's rapid heartbeat through his skin; hear his breaths even out as their lips slowly parted. The final tendril of fear loosened from his heart. Morinaga had finally returned to his side.

He was beginning to drift off when he felt a quick fluttering in his womb. Sitting up in panic, Souichi lay one hand over the firm mound of his belly. But there was no pain or rolling cramps that were the signs of premature contractions that Dr. Hako had told him to look out for. Instead, the light movement flitted through again. It was then that he realized what it meant. He was feeling their baby's first movements.

"Sempai-? What happened? Is something wrong with the baby?" Immediately, Morinaga's sleepy tone sharpened with worry and he, too, sat up, a hand already reaching for his cell. Souichi shook his head quickly, unable to speak.

"Then what's wrong? Sempai, don't scare me, please!"

Souichi looked up at his partner, his eyes unknowingly filled with wonder. "Our baby's moving…"

Morinaga stared at him in surprised delight before he immediately leaned forwards, his hands coming to rest on the curve of Souichi's womb. Within him, Souichi felt the light movement again, as though their child had registered Morinaga's presence. "Can you feel that? He moved again just now."

"Ahh, he did?! I didn't feel anything! Aww, baby, Papa is here! Let Papa feel you?" Morinaga pouted and began to stroke Souichi's abdomen carefully, attentive of any movement beneath his skin.

At Morinaga's crestfallen expression, the tense atmosphere broke and Souichi chuckled, leaning back so that Morinaga could have better access to their baby. "I think it might be too soon for you to be able to feel his movements—Dr. Hako said that would only happen at seven months." Yet, he did not stop Morinaga's hands as they palmed his burgeoning womb, sprinkled with the occasional kiss along the stretched skin.

"Papa is so happy that you are safe, baby. Stay healthy and happy in Daddy's belly, okay? Papa loves you very much."

Morinaga planted a last kiss on his womb and rested his cheek against it for a moment. Souichi's breath hitched in his throat. Slowly, his hand rose up to rest on the younger man's brown locks. A blissful smile crossed Morinaga's face and he wriggled up and snuggled into Souichi's side. With a sigh that was not quite filled with exasperation, Souichi tucked his kouhai and lover in the crook of his neck and they fell asleep in each other's arms for the first time in a long while.

* * *

**To be continued.**

**A/N: I think Scorching Heat will have one more chapter to go before it's wrapped up. The story became much longer than I had anticipated, spanning two months of Souichi's pregnancy. Just in case you are confused, at the end of this chapter, Souichi is 5 months pregnant. **

**TTYL :)**


	9. New beginnings

**A/N: Hi people, i'm finally back with the last chapter of Scorching Heat! I was actually away on a two- week trip, so, apologies for this late update! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey!**

**Please enjoy: Chapter 9 :)**

* * *

**Chapter 9: New beginnings**

**xxx Tetsuhiro xxx**

Bright morning sunlight shone into the living area as Tetsuhiro bustled around in the kitchenette. A pot of miso soup bubbled on the stove while he carefully lifted a grilled salmon fillet from the skillet. From a distance, he heard the generator kick in and the sound of the shower being turned on. Tetsuhiro glanced in the direction of the bathroom and smiled. Sempai must have just awakened. Hurrying to heat up the teriyaki sauce, he had just placed the last plate onto the coffee table when Souichi stepped into the living room.

Ah, had Sempai always looked so good? There was a radiance that lit up Souichi's complexion with a peach hue and a beckoning softness that tempered the sharp planes of his lover's face. Five months into the pregnancy, Sempai had managed to maintain his lean figure and Tetsuhiro's gaze unconsciously traced down the lithe curve of Souichi's back as the man settled down onto the floor cushion. His groin gave a little jump and Tetsuhiro had to shift his thoughts into less dangerous territory before he lost his control.

"Sempai, good morning." Unable to resist having just a little taste, Tetsuhiro set the tray of tea down onto the wooden table and gently swept Souichi's hair away from his face, the silky strands still damp to his touch. Leaning in until he could smell the clean fragrance of Souichi's aftershave, Tetsuhiro quickly pressed a kiss onto the other man's cheek before jumping back, successfully avoiding the retaliatory punch that was Sempai's customary reaction. "You look so good today, Sempai!"

"Tch…baka! Who said you could do these kinds of things in the morning!"

Tetsuhiro chuckled but did not say anything. He reckoned that Sempai was probably unaware that he was blushing as he rubbed at the place where Tetsuhiro had kissed him. As he sat down in front of his own bowl of rice and the two of them began to eat in comfortable silence, Tetsuhiro felt unbelievably content. It had been a week since their discharge from the hospital and there had been a subtle but tectonic shift in their relationship. It might have been the aftershocks of the accident, or the fact that they had very nearly lost each other and their baby but Tetsuhiro had finally felt the foundations of their relationship, built so shakily at the beginning, solidify and stabilize into something that he could really stand on and not be afraid to fall through the cracks.

"Eat more of this—you like tamagoyaki, right?" Souichi's voice cut into his thoughts and Tetsuhiro looked down at the large piece of egg roll sitting atop his rice. Souichi had gone back to eating the rest of his food, his gaze firmly averted from Tetsuhiro's.

"Yes, it's my favourite! Sempai, you remembered?" Happily, Tetsuhiro immediately picked up the piece of egg and chomped into it, savouring the sweetness that was not merely gastronomic.

"…You mentioned it a few times; of course I would remember!" Souichi hastily picked up his bowl of miso soup and raised it to his mouth, plugging further talk about his actions.

Tetsuhiro did not miss the tinge of red that had returned to his Sempai's cheeks as Souichi hurriedly gulped down the soup. He knew that Souichi had always been a meticulous and thoughtful person, even back when they had just been sempai and kouhai. After his confession, despite the fact that Souichi was homophobic, he had never laughed at Tetsuhiro or discriminated against him. Through his fear and doubts, Souichi had still given their relationship serious thought and it was this kindness and consideration innate in him that they had managed to come to where they were today. However, it was only recently that Sempai had begun to show his care for him openly, often in these small ways that always managed to bring a throb to Tetsuhiro's heart. It was as though the explosion had swept away all remaining hesitation in them and taught them the importance of treasuring the people they had right now.

"Ah, so many things have happened these past two months…I actually forgot to contact the person that Isogai recommended. I was thinking of getting a private instructor for Lamaze classes. Dr Hako said it was a good idea too. Her name's Suzuki…" Meal finished, Souichi took out his cell and ran through his contacts before passing the mobile phone to Tetsuhiro. "What do you think?"

"That's wonderful! But must we really use Isogai-san's recommendation…?" Wrinkling his nose, Tetsuhiro was disgruntled at the mention of his (self- proclaimed) love rival. The man always seemed to appear at the most inopportune of moments.

"Ehh? Why not? Suzuki seems to be quite trusted by Isogai's colleague. I was thinking that it would be harmless to try her, though of course in our case, it would be much more unique…we could possibly ask Dr. Hako to refer us to her."

"All right, Sempai, I'll go with whatever you say, then!"

The mention of Lamaze classes caused the heady rush of excitement and anxiety to rise up in Tetsuhiro again. He was thrilled that their baby was coming; it would be another little Sempai that he could love. He had listened to the tiny heartbeat during the checkup before their discharge from the hospital and that fluttering sound like the beat of a bird's wings had filled him with wonder. Soon, Tetsuhiro would be able to meet his own child and he was buoyed beyond words. He was determined to be a good father, one who would accept everything about his own child. The thought brought up an image of his stern- faced father; Tetsuhiro suppressed the familiar pain almost immediately. Yes, he would definitely love his child for who he was.

Noticing that Souichi seemed to have difficulty standing up from the floor cushion, Tetsuhiro hurried over and brought the man carefully to a standing position.

"Ah, baka, I can stand on my own!"

Souichi batted his hands away but Tetsuhiro held on stubbornly. Sempai's pregnancy was noticeable now, the round curve of his belly pressing firmly against Tetsuhiro's arms. Where before Tetsuhiro could encircle Souichi's waist with an arm, now his right hand barely rested on the sides of Souichi's womb and he stroked it tenderly, his lips finding the spot behind Souichi's left ear where he liked to nuzzle. Hazily, Tetsuhiro reminded himself to buy a small dining table set within the week. It would not be good to let Sempai continue sitting on the floor in his condition.

The room was brightening as the day awoken fully but the two of them remained quietly in each other's arms, the dishes forgotten for the moment.

_Ding dong._

Tetsuhiro and Souichi sprang apart like a pair of guilty lovers. Souichi immediately moved to remove the plates from the table as though they had not been embracing just a moment ago. It was really amusing how Sempai could still be embarrassed around him even after they had known each other's bodies so thoroughly. Nonetheless, Tetsuhiro made his way to the genkan, curious as to their early visitor.

Through the peephole, he saw a familiar- looking man, the blonde hair an unusual hue even in trendy Japan. Where had he seen this man before? Hastily, Tetsuhiro unlocked the front door and came face to face with the man he had seen only once at the hospital. "Ahh, you are…Yamaha- san, right?"

There was a sharp clatter from the kitchenette. Before Tetsuhiro could even fully open the door, Souichi had appeared by his side, hackles raised. Tetsuhiro could feel the anger radiating from his partner. "Sempa—"

"What the hell are you doing here? You still have the gall to show your face after everything you have done? Get away from my house!" Souichi swung the door hard, his intention clear.

"W-wait! Please!" Yamaha's hand shot out, preventing the door from slamming in his face. "Tatsumi- sempai, please give me a chance to apologise!"

Tetsuhiro was torn. It was obvious that Sempai did not want to see this Yamaha guy but it was also apparent that the blonde man was serious about apologizing. "Sempai, please calm down! Why don't we let Yamaha- san come in first?"

"No way in hell!" Souichi shook off Tetsuhiro's hand and glared at Yamaha. "Get your hands off of my door, bastard!"

"Sempai! Please, maybe Yamaha- san does have something to say that we should listen to! Don't be so angry, please—it's not good for the baby!"

"…Fine! Do whatever you want, but don't expect me to forgive that bastard!" Stalking off to the living area, Souichi relinquished his hold on the front door and it was only then that Tetsuhiro could let the other man in.

The atmosphere was tense. Sempai was standing to the side of the couch, glaring at Yamaha as the blonde approached hesitantly. Tetsuhiro followed closely behind, racking his brain to see if there was a good way to defuse the situation.

Yamaha slowly set the paper bag that he had been carrying onto the coffee table. "That—these are some tonics that the pharmacy recommended for pregnancy…Please accept them along with my sincerest apologies!"

Tetsuhiro glanced anxiously at Souichi. His Sempai was unyielding even in the face of Yamaha's sincerity, standing in front of the blonde with his arms crossed. Sympathy welled up in him; surely whatever that Yamaha had done did not warrant such harsh treatment from Sempai.

"Sempa—"

"Tatsumi- Sempai, I know that whatever I say now would be useless but I am really sorry for—for picking a fight with you over what happened with my grandmother," the blonde man bowed deeply. "I just didn't think that things would turn out like it did! I—I have already resigned from the university and will be returning to the States. I just wanted to come here and apologise personally to you once more before I leave-!"

"Did you think an apology like this is enough? Bastard, even though I was the one who stopped you from visiting your grandma, it didn't give you the right to be so reckless in school! You nearly killed Morinaga and the baby! Fuck-!" Souichi spat the words out. Picking up the bag of tonics, the pregnant man shoved it roughly at the younger man whose head was still bowed. "Take your things away and get away from my sight!"

The events of the night were becoming clearer to Tetsuhiro. The raised voices that he had heard that night in the lab had indeed belonged to Yamaha and Sempai. Had they been quarreling about Yamaha's grandmother? Seeing the blonde flinch and stagger backwards at Souichi's harsh words, Tetsuhiro hurried to steady the younger man. "Yamaha- san—"

"Morinaga, let that man go!"

Tetsuhiro's hands remained around the other man's wrists. Looking beseechingly at his angered lover, Tetsuhiro tried to cool Souichi's heated temper. "Sempai, maybe we could accept Yamaha- san's goodwill? Let bygones be bygones?"

"Like hell I will!" Souichi's voice rose in incredulity. "I could forgive his insolence for the past few months at work but not when it brought danger to you and the baby! Take your things and leave, Yamaha, before I throw you out!"

Despite the volatility of the moment, Tetsuhiro felt a wave of warmth wash through him. Sempai had not even thought about himself as the victim in the accident; rather he was so righteously angry for his sake and the baby's. Sempai was so silly at times—how many times had Tetsuhiro assured him that he was already all right? Glancing at the shivering blonde beside him, Tetsuhiro understood Souichi's unwillingness to forgive the man. If he had been in Sempai's shoes, and Sempai had been the one who had gotten injured in the explosion, Tetsuhiro might have reacted in exactly the same way as Souichi.

Tetsuhiro knew that he should be furious with Yamaha because the man had, after all, put Sempai and their baby in danger. However, he recalled how Yamaha had been the one to direct him to the exits when he had been disoriented from the impact of the explosion. The blonde had also managed to keep his wits around him and dial for help immediately. Tetsuhiro knew that he would not have been able to save his loved ones so easily if he had been alone and for that, he was grateful to Yamaha. Most significantly, he remembered Yamaha's tearful face when he had come to apologise to Tetsuhiro at the hospital. The man was truly contrite.

"Sempai, if not for Yamaha- san here, I might not have managed to get us out in time that night. After the first blast and you had fainted, I panicked and lost sight of the exits. However, Yamaha- san found the backdoor and directed me towards it… Regardless of how the explosion was caused, could you try to forgive him, even a little? You have forgiven me for so much more before-!"

There was a shocked gasp from Yamaha and the blonde gazed up at him with widened eyes. Tetsuhiro smiled reassuringly at him but kept silent. The ball was in Sempai's court now and if it were rejected then Tetsuhiro would not force the matter. "Sempai, if you are angry for my sake, then I'll say that I feel only grateful that all of us survived the accident…the only thing that matters to me now is that you and the baby are with me! Yamaha- san is really sorry; wouldn't it be better for us all to move forwards from here? Please, Sempai?"

Souichi was not looking at them. Tetsuhiro could see the outline of his shoulder bones through the thin cashmere, so stiffly was Souichi holding himself. The silence stretched on endlessly. Tetsuhiro tried to keep his hopes up but he could feel Yamaha deflating even more as the time ticked past.

"Once again, I'm really sorry for everything. Tatsumi- Sempai, Morinaga- san, please take care. I-I'll be taking my leave now…" Yamaha quietly shifted Tetsuhiro's hands away, a wavery smile of gratefulness on his face. He was just bending down to collect the paper bag when Souichi spoke up tersely.

"…Call Fukushima- Sensei and tell him that you will be going back to school."

"E-ehh?" Yamaha's voice came out in a strangled syllable. "Tatsumi- Sempai-?"

Souichi's back was still turned to Tetsuhiro and Yamaha but his next words were discernible. "If you leave the team, who the hell is supposed to help Sensei finish the herb experiments! Don't think that this is a chance for you to slack off!"

"…Tatsumi- Sempai, thank you…thank you!" Yamaha was crying openly now and Tetsuhiro patted him awkwardly on the back, trying to soothe the man. He smiled widely when Souichi unfolded his arms and approached them, taking the neglected bag of tonics from Yamaha's slack fingers.

"You'd better learn to observe the safety rules in the lab, Yamaha. Do you get it?"

"Yes, I will! I have learnt my lesson from this incident…" The blonde grimaced. "I'm very sorry I shouted at and shoved you that day, Tatsumi- Sempai."

"…Fine. Pass my regards to your family for the passing of your grandmother."

"I will!"

* * *

The door closed with a snick behind Yamaha and Tetsuhiro breathed a sigh of relief before turning back towards the living area. Souichi was on the couch, his head cocked back. He looked exhausted. Tetsuhiro glanced at the clock. It was barely ten am and they had already gone through a hurricane. It was no wonder that Sempai was tired.

Silently, Tetsuhiro settled himself beside Souichi, his hands clasped on his thighs. He knew when Souichi opened his eyes and looked at him but Tetsuhiro remained unmoving in his position, everything and nothing running through his mind at once.

"…Morinaga."

Tetsuhiro startled at his name. The after tremors of the confrontation with Yamaha were just beginning to make their presence known. Tetsuhiro bit his lip and he continued to stare at his knuckles. As the latent emotions within him woke up and reared their heads, he wondered miserably why he could be so hypocritical. Moments passed in loaded silence as Souichi's gaze continued to burn into the side of Tetsuhiro's head.

"…Sempai, I think…I think that I'm actually very angry at Yamaha- san."

Beside him, Tetsuhiro heard Souichi sigh and the cushion sink down as the other man shifted closer. "But you still defended him." There was no reproach in Souichi's voice, just a matter-of-fact tone that finally made Tetsuhiro look up and at him.

"Yea, yea I did…it's just—if he had not been there—" The smoke and rubble surrounded him again and it was as though Tetsuhiro were right back at the explosion site. "If Yamaha had not shouted out and guided me to the exit, I might have given up…I really didn't know what to do after I saw you faint right in front of me—" Cool fingers slid over his hands and it was only then that Tetsuhiro noticed that he was shaking. "He's really not a bad guy, Sempai…really…" He held on to Souichi's hands, squeezing them convulsively.

"Mhmm."

No further words were uttered but that day, each of them grappled privately with the nebulous and frustrating concept called forgiveness.

* * *

"Ahh, this dress is so kawaii!"

"No, I think the mittens are cuter!"

Tetsuhiro grinned proudly as Matsuda- san and Kanako gushed over the baby accessories that he had picked up, yet again, on his trip to Tokyo last week. The storeowner of the child accessories shop had even come to recognize him after his multiple trips there. Seeing the bags of things for the baby pile up in their apartment, Sempai had chastised him for wasting money by buying clothes for both genders when they did not even know if their baby was going to be a boy or a girl. Nonetheless, Souichi had carefully looked through all the purchases and inventoried them meticulously. This stage of parenting was really fun, although if Tetsuhiro were not careful, he would be left with an irreparable hole in his pockets even before the baby arrived.

Leaving the ladies to bicker over which ensemble was nicer, Tetsuhiro ambled out of the kitchen, his mood buoyed as always by the warm atmosphere of the Tatsumi family. In the living area, he heard the muted voices of Sempai and Isogai. Gah, the man must be trying to steal his Sempai away from him again! There was a burst of laughter from the room and Tetsuhiro's jealousy was piqued. "Sempai!"

"Ehh, Morinaga- san, konbanwa! Tatsumi- chan here is busy with me at the moment," Isogai snaked an arm across Souichi's waist and he pulled the surprised man close. "Shoo, don't disturb us!"

Tetsuhiro rushed over and pushed his way between the two men. Glaring at the laughing bastard, Tetsuhiro hugged Souichi tightly. "Sempai is mine! Don't try to take him away!" A sudden whack on his head caused him to wince. "Ouch-!"

"Baka! What do you think you are doing?" Souichi pushed Tetsuhiro away and straightened his sweater self- consciously. "I was just telling Isogai about our decision to hire Suzuki- san for the Lamaze lessons."

"Ow…okay, Sempai but, Isogai- san, please keep away from Sempai! I don't trust you." Narrowing his eyes, Tetsuhiro began to maneuver Souichi further from the older man. Really, when Isogai was around, he had to keep his guard up!

"Haha, Morinaga- chan, you are as fun to tease as ever! Souichi, you have your hands full with him, huh? Anyways, update me on Suzuki- san when you start with her next month. I have to know if my recommendation is effective or not!" Isogai lifted the can of beer and took a swig.

"Yea, we will…thanks, Isogai."

"Nah, no thanks required. Morinaga, how's work in Tokyo? It is a permanent position at the drugs company, no? Have you all decided if you are going to stay in Nagoya or Tokyo?"

Tetsuhiro glanced at Souichi, his brow furrowed. They had finally discussed the issue at length a few nights ago and Souichi had insisted that they move to Tokyo once the baby was born. Tetsuhiro had been troubled by the thought of Sempai having to leave everything behind, be it his hometown, his family members, or his work at Nagoya University. However, Souichi had been adamant in his decision and Tetsuhiro had not protested further. Selfish feelings of exhilaration warred with his sense of guilt. "Uhh, we—"

"We'll be moving to Tokyo after the baby is born." Souichi's tone was firm. Tetsuhiro glanced at him in dismay but Souichi merely continued to sip at his tea, his expression set.

"Ah, is that so? It's good that you have made a decision on this. The baby will be here sooner than you would think! Do you need help with any living arrangements? I still have contacts in Tokyo that could be useful." Isogai had already taken out his cell and begun to scroll through his phonebook. "Ahh, this realtor…"

Tetsuhiro stepped in hurriedly. "Ah, Isogai- san, there's no need; I will be taking care of everything on Tokyo's side with my boss at S Pharmaceuticals…thanks, though," he finished reluctantly. This man was deceptively frivolous.

"Nii- san, Isogai- san, Morinaga- san, time for dinner! What are you all talking so seriously about?" Kanako's cheerful voice piped up from the kitchen. "Matsuda- san cooked herbal chicken soup tonight! Nii- san, you have got to eat more!"

"All right, we are coming! Ah, I love this family; I always get so well- fed!" Isogai winked at the other two men before scooting towards the kitchen.

Tetsuhiro helped Souichi to his feet but did not release the man once they were both standing up. Instead, he pressed the long- haired man into his chest. "Sempai…" The roil of emotion inside him robbed him of further speech and he buried his face in Souichi's hair, hoping that all the love he felt would diffuse through his skin and into Sempai's. Five years ago, he would never have dreamt that Sempai would be in his arms, much less give up everything else to go with him to Tokyo. His chest ached. Was this how it felt to have even more than what your heart yearned for? Was this how love multiplied and grew until it overflowed like tears?

"…Baka, what are you crying for? You are making my hair wet…" Tetsuhiro felt Souichi's sigh against his skin. His tears began to roll down in earnest as Souichi's arms encircled his waist and his velvet baritone sounded against Tetsuhiro's ears. "It's not like Tokyo is a planet away from Nagoya…we could always come back to visit Kanako and Matsuda- san."

"B-but, what about your work? I can't be so selfish as to ask you to give up your passion for my sake!" Tetsuhiro's arms tightened around Souichi's warm form. "I know how much research means to you…"

"Don't worry about that; Tokyo has quite a few universities that Nagoya U is affiliated with. I don't doubt that I would be able to finish my doctorate degree in one of them in the form of an exchange program," Souichi shifted backwards, glaring at Tetsuhiro. "Or are you doubting my abilities?"

"N-no, never-!"

"Then, there's no problem, is there?" A cool finger swiped the remaining tears from Tetsuhiro's eyes. "Baka… Let's go eat dinner. I'm hungry."

In Souichi's arms, Tetsuhiro felt the last of his anxiety and guilt slip away. In its place was happiness so strong that it almost made him giddy and he wiped his face hurriedly, smiling blissfully through his tears. Sempai's kindness was like a quiet river, so deep and endless that Tetsuhiro could drown in it and never know just how loved he was.

"Souichi, Morinaga, what's taking the both of you so long! I'm gonna finish the soup soon~!"

"We are coming! Isogai- san, the soup's for Sempai and the baby, not for you! Urghhh! Sempai, let's go!" Tugging Souichi along with him, Tetsuhiro hurried towards the kitchen where good food awaited to fill his empty stomach until it was as full as his heart.

* * *

**The end.**

**This segment was so much longer than the first two! Hoho. I do hope that you enjoyed this, and the other two! :)**


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